Last Updated on 08/16/2023 by てんしょく飯
In her book “Jag sa inte ens hälften” (I didn’t say half), published on June 9, former Swedish women’s soccer player Nilla Fischer recounts her experience of being subjected to a “genitalia” search by members of the Swedish national team during the Women’s World Cup held in Germany in 2011. The story is told in the book.
During a pre-tournament physical, the entire team, including her, was subjected to a “genital” examination.
Former Swedish national women’s soccer player Nilla Fischer has published a book about her life to date. She also reveals the story behind the 2011 Women’s World Cup in Germany. According to the book, the entire team, including her, underwent a “genitalia” test during their pre-tournament physicals. The purpose was to prove that she was a genuine woman. She was notified in advance of the examination and was forbidden to shave her hair in this area before the doctor’s checkup.
The book describes it this way: “No one could understand why we were not allowed to shave. No one could understand why we were not allowed to shave, but we did as we were told. Questions swirled in my head. How did this happen? Why were they making me do this? Is there any other way? Should we refuse? At the same time, none of us wanted to miss our chance to play in the World Cup. So we had no choice but to do this damned thing. No matter how ridiculous and humiliating it was.”
Rumors were the catalyst.
Speaking to the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet on June 15, Nilla Fischer further explained the situation at the time. I wasn’t worried, but it was still a very strange and very confusing situation. I knew what I had to do, so I immediately took down my pants and underwear. The doctor and physiotherapist checked and documented the test results, and then moved on to the next player waiting in the next room,” she said. The reason this step was taken was because of the fact that the team was made up entirely of women.
This action was taken in response to rumors that some men might be on the Equatorial Guinea national team, and as reported by The Guardian on June 15, 2023, a complaint was filed against the team at the time, which prompted FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) to change its gender determination policy prior to the competition. In response, FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) reviewed its gender determination policy prior to the tournament and announced a new rule. The national soccer associations and team doctors have an important responsibility to verify the gender of their players. (The national associations are responsible for ensuring that all members of the national team are of the correct gender by endeavoring to detect any deviation from the secondary sex characteristics prior to selecting the national team.
Nila Fischer, who has played 194 matches for Sweden since 2001, did not downplay the importance of these precautionary measures, but merely questioned the methodology. The Guardian also points out that alternative methods could have been used, such as the use of the oral mucosa sampling method, for example. In any case, regarding the content of Nila Fischer’s book, FIFA “took note of Nila Fischer’s recent statements about her experiences with the gender verification test that the Swedish national team underwent at the 2011 Women’s World Cup.
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