(Toronto) The Canadian Women’s Soccer Players’ Association, which represents the national women’s team, has filed a $40 million lawsuit against 15 current and former members of the Canada Soccer board of directors, alleging “negligence and breach of fiduciary duty.”
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
At the heart of this lawsuit is the controversial agreement signed by Canada Soccer with Canadian Soccer Business (CSB), which grants the latter organization marketing, sponsorship and broadcast rights to Canada Soccer in exchange for an annual fee. .
The lawsuit argues that the agreement “has created and continues to create a serious risk to Canada Soccer’s ability to fulfill its mandate.”
“In approving the agreement with CSB, the directors of Canada Soccer in 2018 were unable to exercise prudence, good faith and a reasonable belief that such approval was in the best interests of Canada Soccer. »
These allegations have not been proven in court.
The suit names board members in 2018, five of whom are still in place. Current president Charmaine Crooks, as well as her predecessors Nick Bontis and Steven Reed, appear there.
The Canadian men’s and women’s teams are currently negotiating employment contracts with Canada Soccer. The women’s last agreement ended at the end of 2021.