Swedish footballers spark debate by kissing on pitch

The photo of Swedish top-flight players Anna Tamminen and Rosa Herreros kissing, posted by Football Is Everywhere with the message "Football is Love, everywhere" is a superb example of a sport famed for its inclusiveness.

In the third game of the Swedish domestic top-flight season, Hammarby hosted Vaxjo on 15 April. Tamminen and Herreros had never played against each other before, which was unusual for the duo but not uncommon in the women's game. Tamminen, 28, began in goal for Hammarby and led her team to a 6-1 victory, while Herreros was named to the visitors' bench but did not play. After the final whistle and the pitch work was over, the pair welcomed each other with this simple moment of tenderness, which was captured by a waiting photographer.

Overall, the reaction has been mostly favourable, reflecting the game's tolerant attitude. Below the post, a series of rainbow emojis and "love is love" answers highlight the good impact visibility can have. However, as is often the case with social media, it has elicited a few unfavourable replies. Questions have been made concerning professionalism and whether the pitch is the appropriate setting for these contacts, particularly with opposition players.

What these people fail to comprehend is the distinct status of women's football within sport and society as a whole. Unlike their male colleagues, many female players are comfortable and supported enough to be open about their sexuality. Couples are prevalent and well-known throughout the sport, and while they frequently play for the same team, they are not bound by the damaging and outmoded norms held by certain men's game fans. Furthermore, many of these same couples recognise the importance of their platforms in attempting to address the significant inequity LGBTQIA+ people still face when speaking openly about their relationships.

Photographers have documented such exchanges between athletes on numerous occasions. One went viral when Australia's captain, Sam Kerr, and American Kristie Mewis were photographed on the pitch at the Tokyo Olympics in a poignant embrace. The USA had just beaten Kerr's team in a seven-goal thriller to win bronze, and Mewis was comforting her girlfriend, a private exchange in stark contrast to the public setting.

Another photograph that went viral was Pernille Harder and Magdalena Eriksson kissing after Sweden knocked Canada out of the 2019 World Cup. With Denmark absent from the tournament, Harder showed up in a Sweden shirt to cheer on her long-time companion on her way to a bronze medal. It has become an iconic moment in sports, and the two Chelsea players are now vocal advocates for equality and their community.

Most importantly, none of them should be interpreted as anything other than naturally occurring human reactions. Athletes' emotions and relationships are captured across sports, in both success and failure, and regardless of sexuality. Whether it's Jason and Travis Kelce embracing after facing off against each other in this year's Super Bowl, Alex Morgan's daughter playing on the pitch after an international, or Julie Ertz kissing her husband, Zach, pitchside after winning the 2019 World Cup, these are all moments captured on camera that capture the joy of sport. A celebration of the athlete and everyone who has contributed to their success.
Tamminen and Herreros' shot was not on this level of joy. A couple returning to each other after a day at work, on the other hand, was an inherently commonplace circumstance. However, the power of a photograph is tremendous, and in bringing it to life, it has wonderfully defined a sport based on acceptance. A game that has developed its own identity and place despite repeated attempts from people on the outside to govern it. Comparisons to men are incessant and aggravating, with that side being considered as the epitome of how things should be despite its obvious flaws. Despite its relative youth, women's football has the potential to build a new vision.

It is a lens through which to view a safer, more inclusive sport that can combine competitiveness and professionalism with inclusivity, empathy, and a sense that football can truly be a place for all. Where you are rivals for 90 minutes on the pitch, yet once the whistle blows, love, respect, and relationships may exist.