Canadian soccer legend Christine Sinclair shared a joint statement from members of the women’s and men’s national teams on Wednesday where athletes are demanding more transparency from Soccer Canada and an investigation by Sport Canada into the federation’s practices.
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These requests follow a text published Tuesday by the journalist of the TSN network Rick Westhead. He states in particular that Soccer Canada claims that it cannot accept the monetary demands of the players with regard to a bonus of US $ 10 million obtained from FIFA in connection with the qualification of the men for the World Cup (CDM) 2022.
The athletes ask to obtain 40% of this bonus, as is the case in Australia for example. Soccer Canada justified its inability to accept the request because of a contract that the federation signed in 2019 with a private company, Canada Soccer Business (CSB).
The umbrella organization for soccer in the country issued a statement following the publication of Westhead’s article.
“The press release does not deny the content [de l’article]. Instead of acknowledging the governance issues raised by Rick Westhead, Soccer Canada has tried unsuccessfully to convey a positive message regarding the revelations,” reads the missive shared by Sinclair.
“As a united group, we demand full transparency from Soccer Canada. We are also asking for an investigation by Sport Canada into the practices of Soccer Canada and the circumstances surrounding the agreement with CSB.”