When a lawsuit was filed against the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) and FIFA over the plan to host all of the matches scheduled for the 2015 Women’s Soccer World Cup on fields made of artificial turf, the judge initially refused to expedite the suit because both sides had indicated a willingness to mediate the matter.

Now, however, the CSA has announced it is not willing to mediate over the issue at all, throwing the situation into further turmoil.

The lawsuit, filed by some of the most prominent female soccer players in the world including star American player Abby Wambach, claims that by having all of the scheduled matches on artificial turf the CSA and FIFA are treating female players as “second class citizens.”  Wambach has claimed that male players would “strike” if forced to play on artificial turf instead of grass.

Artificial turf is thought to be much more physically dangerous than natural grass, with a suspected link to increased incidences of concussion and other injuries, such as “turf toe.”  Artificial turf is a much less flexible and harder surface, resulting in less impact and shock being absorbed by the ground.  There are also concerns over increased cases of heat exhaustion, because artificial turf radiates more heat back up at the player than natural grass.

Women’s soccer is very popular internationally; in 2012, the Women’s Gold Medal soccer match at the Olympics in London was one of the most-watched sporting events in the world with more than four million viewers.