FIFA is making the US and Germany stay in the same hotel before their massive Women's World Cup game
Andre Ringuette/Getty Images
The latest difference to irk the teams are the hotels. Specifically, teams that are playing each other have been staying in the same hotels, creating awkward situations for the players and coaches.
While speaking with the media, Germany coach Silvia Neid, who is staying in the same hotel as the US team before Tuesday's semifinal, expressed her frustration with the situation (via Soccer America and Yahoo! Sports).
"I believe this doesn't meet the level of professionalism you should expect at a World Cup," Neid told the media. "You run into each other all over the hotel, stand together in the elevator, in the lobby. Even if you know and like each other, it's not easy always having to make small-talk. It was especially uncomfortable after the quarterfinal, constantly encountering the sad French players. That makes one somehow sad, too."
Neid went on to explain that it has been the same all tournament, also noting that they had to share a hotel with Sweden after defeating them in the first round of the knockout stage and adding, "FIFA must by all means evolve."
United States coach Jill Ellis agreed that it is awkward, noting that she nearly walked into Germany's meal room leading up to their semifinal matchup. Ellis also admitted she wasn't sure how it is handled at the men's tournament. Grant Wahl clarified.
I can answer Jill Ellis's question on whether men's World Cup teams also have to stay in the same hotel as their opponent. They don't.
- Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) June 29, 2015
The differences in the men's and women's World Cups has been painfully obvious throughout, starting with FIFA's decision before the tournament to play all of the Women's World Cup games on artificial turf, something not required of the men and something objected to by many of the female players due to how hard the surface can be on the body. This led to a group of women's soccer players unsuccessfully suing FIFA.
There was also the tournament draw, which forced two of the top teams in the world, No. 3 France and No. 1 Germany, to play each other in the quarterfinals in an effort to boost attendance and television ratings.
And there is the enormous disparity in the amount of money up for grabs, $358 million in last year's men's World Cup compared to just a $15 million purse for the Women's World Cup.
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