The players of the Canadian women’s soccer team have told Canada Soccer that they want the issue of World Cup compensation resolved before they fly to Australia.
Hurry up. The Canadians are scheduled to attend a World Cup preparation camp on the Gold Coast, Australia on June 28.
“We are not at the point of not flying, but the time is coming when we want things to be done so that players do not have to deal with them while they prepare,” said Canada captain Christine Sinclair.
Canada Soccer and its men’s and women’s teams have been embroiled in a labor dispute for over a year.
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Christine Sinclair
“It’s obvious there have been a lot of changes at CSA (Canada Soccer) over the past few months,” Sinclair told The Canadian Press. We knew it would be a fight. We knew it would take time. »
But we, as a women’s team, made it clear to them that we needed a deal for at least the World Cup and this year before we go there. It is therefore obvious that we are getting closer to the goal. I think it will happen. Will this be a long term deal? No. But something will be done before the start of the World Cup.
Christine Sinclair
Canada, ranked seventh, will start on July 21 against Nigeria (40e) in Melbourne, before facing Ireland (22e) on July 26 and Australia (10e) in Melbourne on July 31.
Canada Soccer was asked for comment but did not immediately respond on Wednesday.
The players have reached a tentative agreement with Canada Soccer on compensation for 2022, but say other issues have yet to be resolved.
The players, who came together last summer as the National Men’s Soccer Team Players’ Association of Canada, are currently working to conclude their first official collective agreement.
Both teams took strike action. The men boycotted a scheduled Vancouver friendly against Panama in June 2022 because they were unhappy with the progress of negotiations.
At the start of the year, the Canadians threatened not to appear on the pitch at the SheBelieves Cup in the United States, but reluctantly returned to the pitch after Canada Soccer threatened them with legal action .
During the recent CONCACAF Nations League final, men’s coach John Herdman challenged Canada Soccer to “get a grip on reality” about his team’s funding, saying the rival teams benefit from longer camps and more games.
“I don’t know all the details on the men’s side, but we’re fighting the same fight,” Sinclair said. I think as players we fear that national teams are being left behind when you see the support that other federations give to their teams, their youth programs, their professional leagues.
“If we want to stay relevant, yes, some things will have to change. »