One of the most important achievements of the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) in recent months has been the implementation of the Liga MX Femenil; which, since its start in July 2017, has exceeded expectations.
However, the new tournament is questioned in various aspects, such as player salaries, match locations, among other things. In an interview with La Afición, Maribel 'Marigol' Domínguez, considered the best female football player in the country's history, speaks to us about this innovative project.
"It is a success in every sense of the word," said the former captain of the national team. "I was convinced that there would be a women's league, and look, I was right."
Furthermore, the native of Chalco, State of Mexico, indicated that this initiative promotes the careers of women who venture into the sport. "Before, you wouldn't get involved because you didn't know if you would become a professional or if you could make a living from this; now, the girls have a place to land their dreams, where they can develop as athletes."
However, at this moment, "it would be illogical to think that they can already earn millions in football because everything takes time," added the 39-year-old player, in relation to controversies about the wage gap between the men's and women's branches. "Don't think that just by having a women's league, they will become millionaires. No! The foundations are not established that easily," she asserted.
This disparity in pay is due to "men having more attendance at stadiums, generating more economically for the club. I am convinced that the same will happen in women's football. Gradually, but it has to happen." However, she added, "it's not just about money, it's not just about earning five thousand, ten thousand, or twenty thousand pesos, there are many other things that can be supported, for example, we didn't have a place to train before, now we do, there weren't prepared coaches before, now there are."
For 'Marigol', this mentioned inequality will come to an end in the long run: "Can you make a living from football in the future? Yes. It is only up to us women to work, and the rest will just happen."
One of the great beneficiaries of the creation of the Liga MX Femenil has been the national team. A tournament where prospects that represent the nation can be observed facilitated the development of the Mexican team. "Before, we used to gather one or two months before, to work on physical fitness, technical-tactical aspects, things like that; nowadays, no, the girls arrive already prepared. This is very good for national teams." In addition, the football level has increased, "things are being done right; being CONCACAF champions over the United States had never been seen. The results are already showing."
To conclude, Maribel Domínguez expressed: "In the future, Mexico can be a world power because there is a lot of human talent."