In an autobiography, Nilla Fischer, former captain of the Swedish women’s football team, recounts the humiliation she and her teammates suffered to be selected for the 2011 World Cup. The Swedish players were forced to pass a genital examination to participate in the 2011 World Cup in Germany, relays Ouest-France.
To prove that they were indeed women, following transphobic rumors that men were part of the Equatorial Guinea women’s team, the players faced degrading scrutiny: “We were told not to shave there for a few days and have to show our genitals to a doctor. »
“No one understood the shaving thing, but we obeyed and wondered how we got here. Why were we forced to do this now? There had to be other ways to do it. Were we in a position to refuse? And, at the same time, no one wants to compromise their chances of participating in the World Cup. You had to do it to get rid of it, no matter how unhealthy and humiliating it was,” she explains.
On the day of the consultation, which took place in front of a physiotherapist, Nilla Fischer “quickly lowers [her] training pants as well as [her] underwear,” she says. The physio nods and says “yes”, then she looks at the doctor who takes a note. “Once all the players have been checked, that is to say, they have shown their genitals, our doctor certifies that the team is only made up of women,” she confesses.
Faced with these revelations, Fifa said it had “taken note of Nilla Fischer’s comments regarding her experiences and the gender verification tests carried out by the Swedish national team during the 2011 Women’s World Cup”.