Controversial Handling of Chile's Star Player's 100th Appearance Sparks Outrage

The Chilean football federation (ANFP) has faced criticism for their management of Christiane Endler's 100th appearance for the women's national team. Endler is widely recognized as one of Chile's finest footballers, regardless of gender.

On Tuesday, Endler, the team's captain and goalkeeper, created a historical milestone as she became the first player to achieve 100 caps for the Chile women's national team in a 2-1 triumph against New Zealand.

Nevertheless, the ANFP requested that the friendly match, the second one against New Zealand in just four days, be held without spectators. Furthermore, the event was not broadcasted anywhere, depriving fans in the country of the opportunity to witness this significant moment for one of Chile's most accomplished athletes.

"Endler deserves the recognition of her true worth as an athlete and everything she has contributed to the country," stated her agent, Edgar Merino, during an interview on the Prenzafútbol radio show. "It is unfortunate that [ANFP president] Pablo Milad and his team did not properly plan and handle the situation. Endler should have had the opportunity to play her 100th match with the support of fans."

"Even though the ANFP had to allocate additional resources and open a stadium to honor her, they need to acknowledge that women's football is here to stay. It should not be treated as a subordinate, but rather as an equal in the family."

Milad had previously stated that the ANFP chose to conduct the game without spectators present as they anticipated a low turnout. This was due to the fact that it was against the same team, taking place on a weekday, and they had encountered challenges in ticket sales for the initial friendly match on Saturday.

Endler currently plays for Lyon in France, where she won the Women's Champions League in 2022.

Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images

"I had a conversation with Tiane [Endler] where I informed her about our plans to organize a celebration in her honor during the upcoming game. We strongly believe that she deserves this recognition for her invaluable contributions as a player and her role as a global ambassador for our sport," Milad conveyed to the Chiles Sports Commission, as reported by La Tercera.

"We are determined to create a grand spectacle with a large audience in attendance. Our intention is to host a truly remarkable match on a weekend to maximize the opportunity for as many people as possible to be present."

Endler, who had dedicated herself to her profession for years, was left with nothing more than a social media post an hour after the match ended. The post, a graphic, was shared on various platforms without any live audience or television broadcast. In response to the graphic, Chile national team player Daniela Pardo expressed her disappointment with the lack of fan support by commenting on Instagram, "Behind closed doors, without fans and without broadcast. Just another one for you guys."

"It's disgraceful that her 100th game took place in a closed-door setting," expressed another Instagram user, criticizing the ANFP. "They seem incapable of doing anything correctly."

CNN has contacted the ANFP and representatives of Endler for their statements.

Seven years ago, Claudio Bravo, the captain and goalkeeper of the Chilean men's team, made history as the first player to reach 100 caps for his country. This milestone was celebrated at a full Estadio Nacional prior to Chile's World Cup qualifying match against Argentina, where Bravo was presented with a framed jersey displaying the number 100.

While the Chilean women's goalkeeper, Endler, has not addressed the treatment of her own historic achievement publicly, she did express her dissatisfaction with the organization of Chile's first friendly match against New Zealand. This match took place at Santiagos La Florida stadium on Saturday, with spectators in attendance.

Endler captained Chile at its first ever Women's World Cup in 2019.

According to Radio ADN, she stated that despite the crowdedness in La Florida, the stadium did not fully open and tickets were sold last minute. She believes there is still a deficiency in management.

The stadium could have been easily filled with more anticipation and publicity surrounding our match against a formidable team like New Zealand. Achieving greater things would be possible with improved management.

Endler expressed her pride in reaching 100 appearances for Chile in an Instagram post. She also expressed her hopes for many more appearances in the future.

Endler, a renowned goalkeeper, has consistently been ranked among the best in the world. Over the past four years, she has consistently placed in the top three for the prestigious Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper award, ultimately capturing the top accolade in 2021.

Endler's global recognition started to soar in 2017 when she transferred to Paris Saint-Germain. In the monumental year of 2021, she played a pivotal role in helping the club break Lyons' dominant 14-year grip on the French league title. PSG triumphed for the first time in their history, with Endler guarding the net and demonstrating her exceptional abilities by only allowing four goals throughout the entire season.

Moving to Lyon shortly afterwards, Endler has achieved remarkable success, winning two more league titles and the Champions League in 2022. This makes her the first Chilean woman to ever lift the trophy, which is truly significant considering her country's federation sometimes neglects its women's national team.

Such was the neglect of womens football in the country, by 2016 Chile had been removed entirely from FIFAs world rankings for being "inactive."

Endler was named the Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper in 2021.

Harold Cunningham/FIFA/Getty Images

Chile's progress took a positive turn when they hosted the 2018 Copa America Femenina and secured their first-ever qualification for the Women's World Cup in France 2019. However, since then, the situation has deteriorated once again.

Unfortunately, the national team failed to qualify for the 2023 World Cup after losing in a playoff against Haiti. Additionally, a league match was recently suspended due to the absence of an ambulance on-site. Adding to the concerns, FIFPro, the global players union, recently exposed that Chile's Ministry of Labour fined 25 professional women's clubs, which amounts to approximately 70% of all professional women's football clubs in the country, for violating health and safety regulations.

FIFPro stated that the violations encompassed various issues such as the absence of appropriate work attire and hygiene facilities, non-payment of social security contributions, and a failure to address workplace risk factors, including the absence of showers.

President Gabriel Boric of Chile implemented a law in April 2022 that aimed to professionalize women's football in the country. The law mandates clubs to offer professional contracts to all their players within three years, with a requirement to begin with at least half of the squad in the first year.

"It is alarming that certain clubs continue to disregard the mandate of recruiting a minimum of 50% female players in their inaugural year," stated Camila Garcia, Vice President of FIFPRO and the founder of ANJUFF, the Chilean women's player association.

"However, even more distressing is the blatant noncompliance of clubs with regards to basic standards that enable female players to fulfill their responsibilities as employees."