For almost exactly a year ago, Asllani sighed over the Ballon d'or gala being held right in the middle of the women's Nations League gathering.
At the Achille Hammerel stadium in Luxembourg, she just shakes her head when it turns out that the European Football Association (Uefa), which organizes the gala together with the football magazine France Football, has done it again.
I have no comments anymore. I feel that it doesn't matter what we say, says Asllani ahead of Sweden's European Championship playoff away against Luxembourg.
Private jet to the gala
The gala, where the world's best football players are awarded on both the women's and men's sides, is held on Monday. The day after, several women's national teams will play decisive playoff matches.
Sweden meets Luxembourg in the return match at Gamla Ullevi on Tuesday, but has no nominees for the Ballon d'Or.
Norway's Caroline Graham Hansen, on the other hand, is nominated. According to NRK, Barcelona star Graham Hansen will be flown with a private jet to the gala on Monday, and then back to the national team gathering for the return match against Albania.
It's the players who are suffering. But it doesn't matter what we say. We can keep talking, but if we talk to a wall – what difference does it make? But if you want to hear what I think, it's totally outdated, says Asllani.
The 35-year-old midfielder has had reason to criticize football's heaviest associations many times before. But she's about to give up.
Saudi sponsor despite everything
The fact that the International Football Association (Fifa) has this year entered into a sponsorship agreement with the state-owned Saudi oil company Aramco, she sees as another sign that criticism doesn't stick.
Last spring, Fifa announced, after strong protests, that the tourist organization Visit Saudi would not sponsor the women's World Championship 2023.
A year later, Aramco is still coming in as an important partner.
So what should you do if no one listens? Kosovare Asllani has an idea.
For my part, if I could, I would have started my own association, just focused on women's football. To choose our own sponsors and distribute the money as we want it to be distributed. That's the next step.
Lasse Mannheimer/TT
Facts: The road to the European Championship
TT
Qualified for the European Championship 2025: Switzerland (host nation), France, England, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Denmark, Germany, Iceland.
The remaining seven spots will be filled through a playoff in two stages. The teams will meet home and away. The first match is played on Friday with the return match on Tuesday next week.
Playoff, teams from Division A against teams from Division C:
Luxembourg–Sweden, Romania–Poland, Greece–Belgium, Montenegro–Finland, Georgia–Ireland, Slovenia–Austria, Belarus–Czech Republic, Albania–Norway.
Division B's "internal" playoff:
Turkey–Ukraine, Croatia–Northern Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina–Serbia, Azerbaijan–Portugal, Hungary–Scotland, Slovakia–Wales.
The final playoff stage (in the November-December shift).
Luxembourg/Sweden–Bosnia-Herzegovina/Serbia, Azerbaijan/Portugal–Belarus/Czech Republic, Hungary/Scotland–Montenegro/Finland, Turkey/Ukraine–Greece/Belgium, Slovakia/Wales–Georgia/Ireland, Romania/Poland–Slovenia/Austria, Croatia/Northern Ireland–Albania/Norway.
