More than half a century ago, a group of young soccer players formed the Mexico women’s national team. Facing criticism, prejudice and obstacles, they achieved a level of success that their male counterparts never even matched: a third place in a controversial world championship in 1970, followed by a second place just a year later.
With less than 100 days to go until the men’s World Cup, which will be hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada, his achievements remain officially unrecognized by both the Mexican Football Federation and FIFA.
The 1971 tournament was officially classified as an amateur competition, and Mexican players were subsequently banned by the federation after demanding payment of salaries.
Women’s football in Mexico began to take shape in 1969, with the founding of the country’s first league, which served as the basis for the national team that competed in the first world tournament, an event with the participation of seven teams held in Italy in 1970.
The first women’s World Cup officially recognized by FIFA would only take place more than two decades later, in China, in 1991.
The ‘Aztecs’, many of whom had not even turned fifteen, distinguished themselves by achieving a respectable third place after being defeated by Italy in the semi-finals.
The following year, the championship was held again, this time with Mexico as the host country and with the participation of six teams. They finished as runners-up and filled the Azteca Stadium with 110,000 spectators, according to reports from that time.
AFP spoke to three veterans of that historic team about their triumphs, the challenges they faced and the evolution of women’s football over the last five decades.
Wage rebellion
Alicia ‘La Pelé’ Vargas was the team’s top scorer, considered the third best Concacaf player of the 20th century, and the top scorer in the 1970 tournament, held in Italy.
Today, at 72, she remembers the dismissive attitude they faced when traveling to that first tournament, held just a few weeks after Pelé led Brazil to their third world championship, in Mexico.
“Mexico leaves for its adventure appeared in the press in small print, on the sports page,” she says.
However, the media’s attention, as well as the intensity on the field, grew when they advanced to the semi-finals, in which they were defeated, according to her, due to “partial refereeing” which awarded a dubious penalty in favor of the Italians.
The following year came the rematch at home. Also in the semi-final, the Mexican team emerged victorious, leaving the ‘Azzurre’ furious, she recalls.
While waiting for the final against Denmark, a rumor leaked to the press that the Mexican team’s players demanded two million pesos (approximately US$160,000 at the time, R$844,000 at current prices), or they would not enter the field.
“That whole situation hindered our training (…) It ended up being the worst match we played. It was full of mistakes. Each one tried to win the battle on their own”, she laments, recalling the 3-0 defeat suffered against the Danes.
Without receiving an official salary, they organized themselves to ask for donations from the fans who filled the Azteca Stadium and each player left with 21 thousand pesos (around US$1,680 at the time; R$8,869.00 at current prices). However, that match also marked the end of his time with the national team.
Expelled
María de Lourdes de la Rosa, a former right-back, now 71 years old, remembers that they were called “prófugas del metate” (“fugitives of the metate”), a sexist insult that refers to the pre-Hispanic stone slab used to grind food, traditionally operated on their knees.
“They said our place was at home, washing dishes and taking care of our brothers”, she laments.
But the hardest blow, in his opinion, was the disdain shown by Mexican football authorities.
“The Federation itself disowned us exactly at the moment we were playing our last match, the championship final. We weren’t representing Mexico. We weren’t taking to the field like the national team”, he recalls sadly.
Mexican women’s football stagnated, she laments, at a time when it could have grown side by side with that of the United States, whom they used to routinely trample, with double-digit scores.
As a result, De la Rosa believes, “today’s girls,” from the current Mexican generation, are “just getting started,” rather than being able to build on the momentum generated by those runners-up and their fight for recognition.
Optimism
Martha Coronado is yet another supporter of that legendary national team. At 71 years old, she still vividly remembers the prejudices she faced in her youth for entering the field in a world marked by machismo.
“It was deeply inspiring for all of us to know that we were trailblazers, that we blazed a trail and never backed down in the face of adversity,” she notes, noting that a growing number of women can now be found not just in the stands, but also on the field, kicking the ball.
She recalls with pride the 1-0 victory achieved by the current Mexico women’s team against Brazil, the host country of the 2027 World Cup, during a friendly played in the capital on March 7, in front of an audience of 25 thousand fans.
“Mexico has every chance of one day being world champion,” she says, hopefully.
