This is a situation that German football women can only dream of. Although the Kikers DFB are one of the best teams in the world and is currently taking 3rd place in the ranking of the International Football Association-Swedes in 6th place, but in the internal stadiums and media that they are still fighting with stubborn cliches and structural differences.
Historically, the imbalance between men and women is easily explained. In Sweden, as in Germany, male football can look back at a long, continuous tradition, while women were allowed to formally form only in the 1970s. In Germany, DFB forbade women in football until 1970. The Swedes have already played their first official international match against their Finnish neighbors in 1973, German women in 1982, and in 1984 the team around the Ulf Lifors coach won the first European UEFA women’s championship.
While the German woman Bundesliga developed in 1990, the Swedes began against each other ten years ago in Damallsvensky. At the same time, the Swedish football association with programs in schools is actively focusing on the systematic meaning of girls in primary school. This is just a small innovative role that the Swedes play, and yet it still affects the field, but in the mind. Because Sweden shows equality belonging to national identity in practice. In 2019, the men’s team publicly refrained from part of its awards to speed up negotiations on premium adjustment with women.
Excellent equality
Last year, the Swedish Football Association was awarded the Swedish award equal opportunities for constant efforts. On the contrary, comparable signals of political and social solidarity could not largely materialize in Germany.
Scandinavian leadership is even measurable – in stadiums and in front of the TV. At the European Championship of 2022 in England, the Swedish broadcaster SVT reached an average of 1.2 million spectators per game of women, which corresponds to the market share of 61 percent. In Germany, the average market share at the European Championship remained much lower – by 22.6 percent on ZDF.
This corresponds to the fact that the editor of the Swedish portal Sportbibeln.se even writes that he “considers the female team better than the men’s team.” He is not the only one who chooses such clear words. On the Reddit platform, users discussed: many years ago, many years ago, why the Swedish national team is better and popular than that of men. The attacker of Friedolin Rolfeo suspects: “We are probably quite open and show a lot of ourselves, I think that many people like it.”
For comparison, Swedish women in any case are more successful than men. With the EM title, three seconds and five third places, they clearly surpass men. They can show only third place. The German team of men, on the other hand, dominates the headings, fills the stadiums and regularly reaches maximum values in prize money and ratings, while DFB women must continue to fight for attention.
Are the Swedes only from their best performance than men? And does your reputation affect your work in a duel against other teams of women? Swedish football players, of course, have many fans of success, at the same time they benefit from liberal policy and early state support, which began only in Germany later.
In the duel of Sweden against Germany on Saturday in Zurich (9 o’clock in the evening, ZDF) there are two different understandings of football meetings. In any case, the Swedish defender Johnna Andersson is looking forward to the match. She praises the Germans as an “incredibly good team”, and, despite Julia Gwinn’s failure, warns of “great resistance”.
The Swedes, however, enter the game against the Germans as favorites. In any case, the Scandinavians knew how to convince Denmark and especially against Poland. A duel is much more than a purely sports comparison. It is also a mirror that is possible when society supports its players with the same dedication and the same means as their compatriots.
This text was created as part of the seminar of the TAZ Panter Foundation for young journalists in sports.
