ANNE M. PETERSON
AP Sports Writer
The law firm that represents soccer players who object to playing on artificial turf at the Women’s World Cup says a FIFA-commissioned survey of players shows that 77 percent feel major tournaments should be played on grass.
But that wasn’t enough to sway organizers, who chose turf.
Lawyers included the survey results in a letter sent this week to soccer’s six international confederations appealing for support. The letter claims that soccer’s governing body led players to believe that the results of the survey would inform the decision about which surface to use.
U.S. national team veteran Abby Wambach said that she was among the players that took the survey. Wambach is among the players protesting the use of turf, claiming it amounts to gender discrimination.
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