The cry for help from a soccer player abandoned by her club after getting injured

Barcelona"I want to share my story to prevent other female footballers from going to Vllaznia and experiencing this situation." This is the complaint made by Claudia Cid (Mexico, 1997) after enduring a harrowing ordeal in Albania during her first adventure away from Mexico. Women's football continues to progress and grow worldwide. More and more countries, more teams, and more players can enjoy professional status. However, there is still a long way to go. A clear example is what Cid is experiencing, having had to resort to social media to finance surgery on her cruciate ligament and meniscus, injuries she sustained while training with her team.

The center back – who has played for top Mexican clubs like Club America and Cruz Azul – was injured on December 4th during a training session with Vllaznia. "During a change of direction, I felt something in my knee and hurt myself. I told the coach, since there was no doctor, physiotherapist, or physical trainer present, and they took me out of the session," the player recounts. Cid continued to ask the club for a more thorough evaluation to determine the extent of the injury, as the pain persisted. But the club either didn't respond to her messages or told her there was nothing wrong. Seeing that she wasn't getting any answers, the player contacted the International Federation of Professional Footballers' Associations (FIFPro). Cid took advantage of her vacation – from December 15th to January 15th – to fly to Mexico to undergo medical tests to find out exactly what was wrong with her knee. Result: a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus, one of the biggest fears in women's football. Many players have had to go through this long and slow recovery process, which lasts around a year. In the last two weeks, four players from Liga F (Laia Aleixandri, Antonia Canales, Érika González, and Silvia Lloris) have suffered this injury, the bitterest side of the sport.

With the results in hand, the club reported the injury, finally heeding the five previous emails. Vllaznia maintains that the coach notified the medical clinic, even though Cid didn't arrive until the afternoon. "The club does not accept responsibility for medical expenses. Furthermore, it does not cover surgical procedures, as stated in its internal policies," the Albanian club argues. They add that, although the doctor did not identify any serious injury, the player was advised not to train.

Non-payments and accusations of indiscipline

Meanwhile, Cid also claims she hasn't received her November and December salaries. "The payments include a financial penalty for the club's performance in the Europa Cup (the second-tier European club competition), which affects players and coaching staff," the club stated in its response to the email. The player maintains that this penalty was applied only to her. The footballer—who is no longer with the club—explains that she asked to leave before her injury because the situation was already bad. But at that time, Vllaznia told her they were counting on her. However, after the injury, the Albanian club invoked a clause in her contract—which allowed for its termination in December—to terminate the center-back's contract.

The email—which Cid received on January 13, after she had already purchased her travel tickets to be in Albania on January 15, the day her vacation ended—also mentions disciplinary infractions on the part of the player, such as "leaving Albania without prior notification or authorization from the club." FIFPro has admitted to Cid that it is not certain they will win the battle to have Vllaznia cover her medical expenses, since the club doctor did not detect the injury, but they are confident they will receive her salary for November and December. They will file the complaint soon, as they were waiting to learn the exact cost of the operation before submitting it to FIFA.

Network support

The legal process is lengthy, but Claudia Cid's knee can't wait. For this reason, the player has appealed to the public for support through social media to finance the surgery and recovery, which has a minimum cost of €13,000 (270,000 Mexican pesos). The Mexican player has leveraged her personal business selling soccer jerseys and clothing to organize a raffle. So far, she has sold 150 of the 300 available tickets, and the prizes are an iPad, sneakers, and a retro soccer jersey. Cid, who admits she didn't expect the success she's having, is already considering holding a second raffle. It has also launched a crowdfunding page.