After a lifetime colored by football at the highest level, last autumn it was time for Nilla Fischer to say goodbye to that world.
Now she opens up about everything she didn’t say when she was relevant – about speaking out against injustice and about the fight for respect and equality.
– It has been a wonderful journey and a journey that has had both ups and downs but has been worth it.
From the beginning, Nilla Fischer felt that it would be fun to write a book, but then the feeling grew that she had a lot to tell. The autobiography “I didn’t say even half” is a lot about daring to speak up even though you don’t know what price you have to pay.
– I have had to go through everything again and sometimes I get even more frustrated or even more disappointed or happier about what has happened in life.
“Girls have more role models now”
During her career, she has managed to play 189 international matches at national team level and won three championship medals with the Swedish national team, and a Champions League title. But she has also, together with others, fought hard for women’s right to play football and to be treated with respect.
– It has been a wonderful journey and a journey that has had both ups and downs but has been worth it. Because we have really progressed with our conditions both financially and the way we train and play.
– There is still a lot to do and depending on which club you play in and which environment you are in, it can look very different. But girls have more role models now than in my time.
Had to pull my pants down
In the book, Fischer tells for the first time about when the players during the European Championship 2011 had to show their gender to prove that they were women. There were rumors that an African nation had male players in its squad, and this led Fifa to make the decision that all players should prove they are female by showing their gender to the team doctor, she says.
– It was supposed to happen as quickly as possible and therefore we would pull down our pants and simply show which gender we were. It feels so strange to talk about it, because then of course it was very uncomfortable and humiliating, but if it had happened today, I would never have agreed to it.
The only thing that mattered then was getting to play on. And that’s why they also chose not to tell the public anything, she says.
– We felt that we have no gain in saying it then and there, because then that is the only thing we will have to talk about. For many years we have talked about a lot other than football.