When Victor Montagliani, head of the organizing committee for the upcoming Fifa Women’s World Cup in Canada, announced the launch of ticket sales for the final match of the soccer competition he predicted it would be “a historic moment – you know the eyes of the world will be watching.”

Ten months before the final, which takes place on 5 July next year, his prediction has already come true, though not as he intended. The eyes of the world, including those of many top sporting stars and other celebrities such as actor Tom Hanks, are very much on Fifa – and they’re staring daggers.

Soccer’s global governing body is facing possible legal action against its decision to hold the entire competition, including the final at the Vancouver stadium, BC Place, on artificial turf. A slew of top players have spoken out against the move, arguing that to stage the global pinnacle of their sport on a carpet of green plastic is a hazard, and an insult.

As an opening gambit, a letter has been sent from the New York law offices of Boies, Schiller & Flexner to Fifa and the Canadian Soccer Association calling on the organizers to convert the six participating stadiums – in Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal and Moncton – to grass. If that fails to inspire a change of heart, the next step will be to sue the organizers for violating Canada’s anti-discrimination laws.

Among the players who have joined the protest are several members of the US national team including Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan and Heather O’Reilly; Spanish midfielder Veronica “Vero” Boquete and five-time winner of the Fifa women’s world player of the year award, Marta of Brazil.

The current holder of that title, Germany’s goalkeeper Nadine Angerer, told Sports Illustrated, “We are landing all the time, and it’s really bad … It’s really embarrassing. Seriously, it’s concrete.”

The US striker, Sydney Leroux told Associated Press that at its core the dispute was a question of equality. “The men would never play a World Cup on turf, so why should the women?”

Prominent men have also stepped into the fray. Tom Hanks signaled his support for the protest with a tweet that said: “Women’s World Cup is the best Soccer of the year. Hey Fifa, they deserve real grass. Put in sod. Hanx”

Kobe Bryant of the LA Lakers tweeted a photo of the leg injuries Leroux suffered during a game played on artificial turf, adding the hashtag #ProtectTheAthlete.

Tickets for the Vancouver final go on sale on 10 September. The competition, which opens on 6 June, will be the seventh Fifa Women’s World Cup.

The last such event was held in Germany in 2011. Japan won the competition, having beaten the US on a pitch sewn with soft, gentle natural grass.