An unsettling revelation about the 2011 Women’s Football World Cup has come to light. According to the Swedish team's centre-back, Nilla Fischer, players were required to undergo a distressing examination. In her recently published book ‘I Didn't Even Say Half Of It’, Nilla revealed that players had to show their genitalia to the doctors to prove their gender. It was administered by a female physiotherapist acting on behalf of a doctor.
Nilla's book sheds light on the circumstances surrounding the tests, as she recounts being instructed not to shave the pubic area in the days leading up to the examination and being asked to expose their genitalia to the doctor.
These gender tests were implemented in response to allegations from Nigeria, South Africa and Ghana during the 2011 tournament in Germany that the Equatorial Guinea squad included male players.
Nilla said that nobody understood a thing about shaving, but they just did as they were told. “At the same time, no one wants to jeopardise the opportunity to play at a World Cup. We just have to get the shit done, no matter how sick and humiliating it feels,” she added.
In an exclusive interview with Aftonbladet, a Swedish newspaper, Nilla said “I understand what I have to do -- quickly pull down my training pants and underwear at the same time.”
“The physio nods and says ‘yup’ and then looks out at the doctor who is standing with his back to my doorway. He makes a note and moves on in the corridor to knock on the next door. When everyone on our team is checked, that is to say, has exposed their vaginas, our team doctor can sign off that the Swedish women’s national football team consists only of women,” Nilla said.
Upon asking how it felt, Fischer said, “We had a very safe environment in the team. So it was probably the best environment to do it in. But it’s an extremely strange situation and overall, was not at all comfortable.”
Prior to 2011 World Cup, FIFA introduced its current gender recognition policies, outlining that teams must sign a declaration ensuring that the players selected for the tournament are "of an appropriate gender". However, it remains unclear why the players from Sweden underwent a physical examination, considering the existence of a widely used and non-invasive method, known as a buccal swab test. This test involves collecting DNA from the cells on the inside of the cheek and has been employed for decades as a cost-effective means of determining an individual's sex.