12:00pm UK, Friday September 24, 2004

A football team made up of prostitutes have hit out after they were red carded from a tournament in Guatemala because of their profession.   

"Just for being prostitutes, society marginalises us, and we want to exercise our rights as women and as mothers," said team captain Valeria.

180 guatemalan prostitutes football team

Team members discuss tactics

Her team, the Stars of the Line, lost 5-2 to the Blue Devils, fielded by an exclusive Guatemalan girls' school, and were then booted out of the tournament.  

Officials said the reason they were kicked out was because of foul language from the team's fans.  

"One, two, three, whore!" was the chant coming from the stands.   

"We have a lot of children here, and it is not very nice to hear such language," said Eduardo Navas, manager of the Futeca stadium.   

But Valeria said foul language was not the issue, saying: "When they found out we were prostitutes, they tossed us out like cockroaches. It is really discrimination.   

"What we want is to play soccer with any other team. Being prostitutes does not mean that we are violent, because we are well disciplined."   

The Stars of the Line take their team name from Guatemala City's red-light district, called the Train Line, because it faces the city's railway tracks.   

The squad was drawn from the 200 women who work there.