Caroline Seger on Latvia’s defections ahead of the European Championship qualifiers

Of: Petra Thorén

Published: October 21, 2020 at 2:36 p.m.
Updated: October 21, 2020 at 2:55 p.m.

GOTHENBURG. Two amateur Latvian players miss the international game against Sweden.

It is a reminder that the differences are still huge in women’s football.

“It’s strange for us that we live like this and we have the conditions we have,” says Swedish team captain Caroline Seger.

Rosengård and national team veteran Caroline Seger is on a soccer journey. She has been one of the driving forces in the struggle that has advanced women’s football in Sweden and internationally.

But the differences are still great.

While the players of the Swedish national team can make a living from their football, there are several players in their upcoming European Championship qualifier against Latvia who are amateurs and play football alongside their work.

Two of them, Kristīne Giržda and Renāte Fedotova, are forced to stay home from their trip to Sweden to work.

Latvian national team press manager Ilja Polakovs tells Fotbollskanalen that their coaches force them and Nina Travkina of the Latvian Football Association tells Sportbladet that the crown pandemic affects the decision: that the players must follow the rules of employers.

Photo: CARL SANDIN / BILDBYRÅN

For Caroline Seger, who lives in the bubble of the national team and has every opportunity to prepare for qualifying for the European Championship on Thursday, it is a difficult idea.

“Difficult question”

– It is alien to us that we live like this and we have the conditions that we have. So it belongs, this is what it looks like. There are many national teams that have to work hard to get good conditions, but that the players have to choose 2020 is a shame of course, he says and continues:

– It is difficult for us to address these issues and know what to do. We work on our side as best we can to create better conditions here at home. Which in turn hopefully leads to it being this way around the world, you are often looking for the best you can and if you can influence other countries to go in the same direction, it is a good thing. But that’s a tough question.

How do you get into a match like this, for which on paper you are much better equipped mentally?

– It’s like always the opposite. This is a situation we’ve been in before, when we’ve had to face opponents who on paper are worse than us and we’ve had to go in and achieve a result. It’s about charging just as well for this game. We come from a game in which we had a less good second half against Iceland, so it is important that we unite as a national team, play good football and create the best conditions for the Icelandic game. It is everyone’s duty to do so. There are no strange things.

Latvia is also missing their biggest star, Olga Sevcova, for family reasons and the goalkeeper who was on her feet when the team last met, Marija Ibragimova, is gone.

Federation Captain Peter Gerhardsson says this about the opposition:

– It’s clearly a weakening, Sevcova is clearly one of the best. Of course it is good. It’s a shame for them, but it’s good.

Published: October 21, 2020 at 2:36 p.m.

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