Meriame Terchoun gives women's football a face and a voice. The 29-year-old Swiss international talks about developments, disadvantages and power struggles off the pitch.
19.06.2025, 14:00
SDA
Meriame Terchoun, how has the public perception of women's football changed during your time as a footballer?
A lot. A lot more people are showing an interest. Especially now, before the European Championship at home, there is a lot of interest, including from the media. That didn't used to be the case. But we're still not at the level we'd like to be. As far as television coverage is concerned, the Swiss league is still struggling. A change is noticeable, but there is still a lot to do.
Can you give specific examples?
In Switzerland, the clubs have developed positively in terms of structures with medical support, rehab coaches, athletics coaches and so on. In terms of wages, however, we are still a long way from being able to make a living from women's football in Switzerland.
The money is one thing. Apart from that, have there been moments in your career when you clearly felt that women's football is at a disadvantage compared to men's football?
Yes, all my life actually. As a child, I struggled to find a club. I always played with boys until I later joined FC Zurich. I never really enjoyed any support. Sure, sports schools were slowly emerging at the time. But later there was a lack of understanding from employers. That's still often the case today. So yes, in many situations I felt that women's football didn't have the same status as men's football.
How did you deal with this and has anything changed over the years?
When I was younger, things like that always frustrated me a lot, sometimes even made me angry, because I couldn't change anything myself. It was always a slap in the face when I had to fight so hard for simple things. Today, I deal with things differently and try to use my energy more consciously. I have to choose my battles - at some point you don't want to fight anymore.
One fight you have chosen is the one with Pierre-Henri Deballon, the president of your employer in Dijon. You accuse him of not taking the women's football department at the club seriously. You and your teammates are fighting against this. Last week in Magglingen, you said: "Let's see which of us has more staying power."
A lot is changing at the moment. Our president has hired an agency that is looking for a good investor. What surprised me, but also pleased me, was that he's not just looking for someone who will just throw money in and be gone after two years, but someone who supports the values of women's football and wants to invest sustainably and for the long term. It sounds like a very exciting project. I have one year left on my contract in Dijon. Let's see how the whole thing develops.
So the fight was worth it.
Many men care about their image. If this is tarnished, things start to move.
Back to the general issue: What specifically would have to change for young female players to find better conditions today than you did?
There needs to be more sustained investment in women's football. There must be the same structures as in men's football, i.e. the same number of teams, the same number of coaches. There should also be two sports directors, one for each department. Support from sports brands should be improved. While men receive shoes for free, women often have to pay for them themselves. Women should also be given more support during their training - in other words, throughout their entire career.
What are you particularly proud of? Perhaps things that you have done to advance the development of women's football?
I'm super proud that I got back on the pitch after tearing my cruciate ligaments and was able to be an inspiration to others. The best thing I experienced myself was the Cup final against GC back then with FC Zurich, when the south curve was also in the stadium and we realized that something was happening, that more and more people were coming, that more and more people were interested in us. What I also think is really nice is that when we have public training sessions today, it's not just girls who are fans of ours, but also lots of boys. That's when we realize that children don't differentiate between men and women.
What advice would you give young Meriame?
Choose earlier which battles you want to fight, which ones are worth fighting. Because otherwise you're just wasting energy that you should be putting into your own body and your own health.
