![]() ![]() ![]() “COPA 71” directors Rachel Ramsay and James Erskine. (FIFA was not approached to take part in the documentary beyond sharing archive of the org’s existing tournaments.) While it did go ahead - and proved to be a smashing success - its legitimacy was undermined from the get-go, and the event failed to receive the international acclaim and attention it deserved. (There had also been a mini women’s World Cup event in Italy in 1970, set up by FIEFF.) Yet as the event came together, FIFA tried to prevent it from happening at all. The existing infrastructure of the Azteca stadium and enthusiastic support of local sponsors made a women’s tournament not only appealing, but commercially savvy. “They literally had no idea,” says Erskine.ĬOPA 71 was organized by the Italy-headquartered Federation of Independent European Female Football (FIEFF), and was set up in Mexico because it had just hosted the men’s 1970 FIFA World Cup. Later, Team USA forward Alex Morgan is equally mystified when she’s told about the 1971 games. Produced by “Maiden’s” Victoria Gregory and directed by Ramsay and “Sachin: A Billion Dreams” helmer James Erskine, “COPA 71” opens with two-time Women’s World Cup champion Brandi Chastain looking puzzled as she’s shown footage of the tournament. “Imagine if you played in front of 100,000 people, and you’re still told, ‘No, this didn’t happen to you,’” says Rachel Ramsay, co-director of “COPA 71.” “The idea that women’s football did not progress because women didn’t want it to is a myth that’s been percolating for a long time, along with the idea that women’s football was never commercial, that women didn’t want to play and that women weren’t any good. ![]()
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