"Disappointed" Lionesses Halt Bonus Talks With FA Until After World Cup

The Lionesses have paused talks with the Football Association (FA) over performance-related bonuses until after this summer's Women's World Cup.

For the first time, FIFA prize money will be paid directly to the Lionesses squad rather than the FA, and England's players have been pushing the association to top up the central payments awarded to every side since 2022.

With England's first game against Haiti only four days away, a statement released through captain Millie Bright on her social media accounts said the squad have put conversations on hold in order to focus on their campaign.

In it, they expressed their "disappointment" the issue remains unresolved - but said negotiations would continue after the competition.

"Last year we presented the FA with concerns relating to our bonus and commercial structures. The hope was that discussions would lead to a solution before the commencement of the World Cup," the squad wrote.

"We view the successful conclusion of these discussions, through player input and a transparent long-term plan, as key for the growth of women's football in England.

"With our opening game on the horizon, we Lionesses have decided to pause discussions, with full intentions of revisiting them following the tournament.

"We collectively feel a strong sense of responsibility to grow the game and while our focus now switches fully to the tournament ahead, we believe every tackle, pass and goal will contribute to the work we are committed to doing off the pitch.

"We look forward to playing for our country in this World Cup with pride, passion and perseverance. Thank you for your support."

Speaking ahead of the tournament, manager Sarina Wiegman had told Sky Sports News she had not spoken to her players about the issue, but hoped for a "quick solution" after the squad touched down in Australia.

This year's Women's World Cup is taking place in Australia and New Zealand, making it the first-ever co-hosted Women's World Cup.

The tournament gets under way on Thursday, with the final taking place on 20 August at Sydney's Accor Stadium.

The USA are the defending champions and are looking to become the first team in the competition's history to win the tournament three times in a row.

Last month FIFA announced a new financial distribution model to apply to this summer's tournament.

Under that model, players will be guaranteed performance-related remuneration directly from FIFA, with amounts increasing the deeper teams go in the tournament, ranging from $30,000 (£23,000) per athlete for the group stage to $270,000 (£206,000) allotted to each champion.

Previously, it was up to individual national governing bodies to decide how money was allocated, with some still agreeing to fund additional payments in 2023 beyond the new deal.

England players were understood to have been left disappointed by the fact the FA was not following the lead of the Australian and American federations - where collective bargaining agreements are in place - in paying bonuses on top of the prize money being paid to players direct by FIFA.

(c) Sky News 2023: Lionesses halt bonus talks with FA until after World Cup