Have you come across Hope Sogni? Chances are you will.
On Wednesday she launched her election campaign to become the first ever female FIFA president, setting out a progressive programme and highlighting the role women should be playing in the game’s corridors of power. Well, kind of.
As we move deeper into artificial intelligence territory, Hope is an entirely hypothetical entity. The brainchild of sports agency Dark Horses, in conjunction with Twise.ai and Maggie Murphy, chief executive of Lewes FC, the candidate has been influenced by the likes of Moya Dodd, the former Australia internationalist who became one of the first women to join the FIFA Council.
Scarily real, she can be spoken to in real-time and answers articulately on all matters pertaining to football governance, social equality, leadership and societal progression within a football context.
She was unveiled this week with the description that she is a “symbolic representation” of the fact that all nine FIFA presidents between 1904 and now have been men and that women have consistently been overlooked for key roles in football.
The aims of her “campaign” have been to challenge the current hierarchy and governance of the game while stimulating discussion around gender equality and just what that means.
Her emergence came on the same week where it came to light that players from certain teams at this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in Australia and New Zealand are receiving less than anticipated, as a result of a significant level of tax imposed on their match earnings by the Australian Tax Office (ATO).
Those countries who were based in Australia for the month-long tournament will receive a little over two thirds of the designated match fees, with the ATO imposing a 32.5-per-cent tax band. The structure of this tax was an integral part of the hosting agreement.
However, those teams who found themselves based in New Zealand had no such tax issues around their match fees – $30,000 for the group stage which is around £24,000 (life changing for many players) – as they were given tax-free status by New Zealand’s Inland Revenue. The teams who played in both countries were taxed on a pro-rata basis of the amount of games played in Australia. The technology behind Sogni appears sophisticated enough to cope with challenging questions; she was asked whether the funding for male and female football should be slanted more in women’s favour given the current imbalance in terms of its development – women’s football was banned for more than 50 years in many parts of the world, including here – and the answer is more layered than one would expect from, well, a robot.
“FIFA should strive for fairness and equity in funding men’s and women’s football... it is important to invest in both, but also to address the historical disparities and underinvestment in women’s football. This may require a weighted approach that prioritises the development and growth of women’s football, while still ensuring adequate support for men’s
football. The goal is to create a more balanced and inclusive landscape for the sport.”
This was representative of the way the technology was unveiled this week with the most interesting aspect being the glimpse at what lies ahead as increasingly polished AI will become intertwined with daily life.
If it is used to challenge existing thought processes, that may well be no bad thing.
And Another Thing
Spartans have written to the SWPL to request an urgent review of medical provision at games on the back of a serious neck injury to Becky Galbraith during last Sunday’s game against Aberdeen.
The game had to be suspended for almost half an hour as she received treatment from physios who were able to stretcher her off the pitch before an ambulance arrived.
Debbi McCulloch, the Spartans manager, however was understandably frustrated at the lack of immediate medical provision with the incident illustrating the need for professional standards at all levels across the SWPL.
“Firstly, thank you to Aberdeen Women physio Beth, who helped assist us,” McCulloch posted on X. “For the past two seasons, we have ensured a paramedic/ambulance or club doctor attends all our home games so that adequate medical support is available for all players, supporters and staff.
“IMO [In my opinion] medical cover requirements at our level need to be addressed urgently. The welfare and health of everyone who attends a football game should be of paramount importance to all clubs and the league. The game has moved on and we need to ensure we grow with it.”
It is impossible to argue.
And Finally
Glasgow City scooped the high-profile trophies at last night’s Scottish Power Scottish Women’s Football Awards at Hampden Park with Leanne Ross claiming manager of the year, Lauren Davidson claiming the Player of the Year after a haul of 32 goals and Lee Gibson claiming the International Player of the Year.
The club will celebrate its 25th anniversary in January and has been pivotal to the growth and development of the women’s game in Scotland.
Many observers felt that their crown would slip following Rangers’ title triumph under Malky Thomson only for City to come back and reclaim it in the Ibrox side’s backyard on a pulsating day of the season last year.
The last independent club to reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League, City have been a force for good and hold their own financially as much as anything. This season, though, they trail Rangers by eight points and Celtic by seven, a significant chasm even at this stage of the campaign.
All eyes will be on the Petershill side to see if they are capable of revving the engine once again.
