The Canadian men’s soccer team declined to play a pre-World Cup friendly against Panama on Sunday due to a contract dispute between the players and the national body.
The game scheduled at BC Place in Vancouver was canceled less than two hours before kickoff. Hundreds of disappointed fans dressed in red and white jerseys lingered outside the stadium after the news broke.
The Canadian players released a statement on Sunday revealing that they had decided not to play the match because negotiations over a new deal had been “unnecessarily prolonged”.
“It’s time we took a stand for the future of soccer in Canada,” the statement said, noting that talks began in March.
The players have said they want more transparency from Canada Soccer, leadership changes, as well as compensation for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar which includes 40% in compensation and a “complete package for friends and family”.
“We want to work with our organization, but the relationship has been strained for years,” the statement continued. And now Canada Soccer has disrespected our team and compromised our efforts to raise standards and effectively advance the sport in Canada. »
The players’ proposal is not financially viable, said Canada Soccer President Nick Bontis.
“My job as president is a responsibility to the fiduciary health and stability of this organization, not just for the past 120 years that we have gone through, but for the next 100 years,” he said in press conference, Sunday afternoon. And I cannot accept this offer, which would put our organization in an untenable financial situation. »
Players also want a review of the deal Canada Soccer signed with Canadian Soccer Business (CSB) in 2019. The 10-year deal sees CSB representing the men’s and women’s national teams in all sponsorship and broadcast deals. .
The player statement says the deal “impairs the ability [de Canada Soccer] to build on the on-field success of our senior national teams”.
“We need the details of this agreement to be released and corrected,” she said. We want to know who signed this agreement that handcuffed our association. Why has Canada Soccer given up autonomy in the biggest opportunity to grow our program in years? »
Bontis defended the deal, saying CSB plays a “pivotal” role in developing the sport in Canada.
On Sunday night, CSB Chairman Scott Mitchell released a statement saying he “fully supports” the call for more transparency.
“We are proud of our agreement with Canada Soccer and what it means for the Canadian soccer ecosystem,” he said. We are prepared for full transparency on our deal, which has included an unprecedented amount of revenue for Canada Soccer over the past 18 months in the form of sponsorship and international media monies. »
The players are also calling for a fair compensation structure for men’s and women’s teams, and the creation of a national women’s league.
The Canadian women’s team said in a statement that they were pleased with the men’s team initiative, but noted that they did not view FIFA’s equal percentages for the two teams as equal pay.
“The Women’s National Team will not accept any deal that does not offer equal pay,” the statement read.
She also said she sees the proposal tabled Friday by Canada Soccer for the two teams as a “positive step” towards pay equity between the men’s and women’s teams, “and which provides a basis for future negotiations”.
The American Soccer Association recently agreed to collective agreements that offer equal pay for the first time to men’s and women’s teams.
Canada’s men’s team canceled two practices, Friday and Saturday, due to the contract dispute.
She hasn’t played at home since beating Jamaica 4-0 in Toronto on March 27 to earn a World Cup berth.
Canada must kick off the Concacaf Nations League against Curaçao (79e) in Vancouver on June 9.