CNN
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FIFA’s determination to nominate Brazilian supermodel Adriana Lima as its world fan ambassador forward of the Women’s World Cup has been derided as “tone deaf” and “truly baffling” by former Australian worldwide Moya Dodd.
Soccer’s world governing physique introduced Monday that Lima, a former Victoria’s Secret mannequin, would “develop, promote and participate in several global initiatives involving fans from all over the world,” whereas FIFA President Gianni Infantino mentioned the 41-year-old Brazilian “lives and breathes ‘futebol.’”
Dodd, the previous vice-captain of Australia’s girls’s soccer staff, mentioned on Wednesday that Lima’s public picture “looked an odd fit for an organisation that says it wants to empower girls and women, and whose President is required to be “a vanguard” for selling gender equality (sure, that’s within the FIFA Governance Regulations).”
Dodd, who beforehand led Fifa’s taskforce on girls’s soccer, wrote on Linkedin: “[W]hen a woman performs soccer, the world sees her in a different way. Instead of being complimented on her good seems to be or her fairly gown, she is valued for her game-saving tackles and sensible goal-scoring.
“She’s admired for what she will DO, moderately than how she seems to be, placing her on a extra equal footing along with her brothers in a method that may alter the entire trajectory of her life’s ambitions.
A member of the FIFA’s govt committee from 2013 to 2016, Dodd expanded on her feedback, including that her personal analysis on Lima “showed that this model specifically was known for crash-diet eating & drinking,” and referenced a 2006 GQ article, the place the Brazilian is quoted as saying abortion is against the law.
“What will this ambassador represent to the large and growing population of aspirational #womensfootball players and fans who love the game because it shows us what empowerment and equality can look like?” requested Dodd.
Lima’s publicist, Laurent Boye, mentioned the mannequin’s stance had modified since she made these feedback 17 years in the past.
“We can proudly say that Ms Lima has been promoting a healthy lifestyle for several years and like many people, her position on many LGBTQIA+ and women issues has evolved and she is considered an ally,” Boye mentioned in a press release, Reuters information company reported.
In a follow-up submit, Dodd mentioned that Lima’s view’s on abortion nonetheless hadn’t been addressed.
“To be clear, there isn’t a criticism of Lima’s private selection – everybody ought to have that proper. But denouncing abortion as against the law implies that you suppose others who make a special selection ought to be handled as criminals and punished accordingly.
“That is a terrifying prospect, and not consistent with women’s empowerment or right to control their own bodies and futures, imho,” Dodd wrote.
CNN has reached out to FIFA for additional remark.
In a press release Monday, Lima mentioned she was ” very grateful and honoured to have been chosen by FIFA to be the primary Global Fan Ambassador and to be given such a platform to assist followers get even nearer to the sport.”
Ouarda Coussay, a consultant for mannequin administration company Elite World Group, which represents Lima, declined additional remark when contacted by CNN.
The 2023 Women’s World Cup runs from July 20 to August 20 in Australia and New Zealand.
