Iceland captain and Lyon midfielder Sara Bjork Gunnarsdottir has said the stadiums chosen for the women’s European Championship in England this summer are “shocking” and “embarrassing.”
The venues chosen for the tournament have capacities which range from the Manchester City Academy Stadium’s 7,000 to Wembley’s 90,000.
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Iceland will play two of their group stage matches at City’s training ground which also acts as the home ground for their women’s team.
“I am disappointed with the arenas we have been given. It is shocking — we play a tournament in England with several large arenas, and we get to play at a training facility that takes around 5,000 spectators,” Bjork Gunnarsdottir told the podcast Their Pitch.
“It is just embarrassing and it is not the respect we deserve. They haven’t prepared for the fact that we can sell more than 4,000, it is disrespectful to women’s football.”
Both of Iceland’s games at the Academy Stadium have already sold out along with a multitude of other games including all of host England’s group stage matches.
“Women’s football takes two steps in the right direction, but then things like this happen and then you take a step back,” she added.
“But matches will be played in larger arenas that I’m sure will sell out. Women’s football explodes and you start to get the respect you deserve. It’s getting better — more money is being pumped in now and it’s going in the right direction. But there are still things that need to improve.
“They should 100% reconsider [changing the stadiums]. Because if you look at the reactions and how many people buy tickets and how popular it has become, then you have to reconsider.”