Canadian women want the pay dispute resolved before they leave for the World Cup
Players from Canada’s women’s soccer team have told Canada Soccer that they want the issue of World Cup pay settled before boarding a plane to Australia.
There’s not much time. The Canadian women will report to a pre-tournament camp in Australia’s Gold Coast on June 28.
“We’re not at a point where we’re not getting on a plane, but the time is coming when we want to, so as players we don’t have to deal with it as we try to prepare,” said the 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.
“Clearly there’s been a lot of change at the CSA (Canada Soccer) in recent months,” Sinclair told The Canadian Press. “We knew this was going to be a fight. We knew it was going to take some time.
Seventh-place Canada will start against No. 40 Nigeria in Melbourne on July 21, before facing No. 22 Ireland on July 26 and No. 10 Australia on July 31 in Melbourne.
Canada Soccer was asked for comment but did not immediately respond on Wednesday.
The women, who founded the Canadian Soccer Players’ Association in 2016, have been without an employment contract since the last one expired at the end of 2021.
They have reached an agreement in principle with Canada Soccer on compensation for 2022, but say other issues remain to be resolved.
The men, which organized as the Canada Men’s National Soccer Team Players Association last summer, are working on their first formal contract of employment.
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Both teams have taken action. The men are boycotting a scheduled friendly match in Vancouver against Panama in June 2022 due to their dissatisfaction with the progress of labor talks.
Earlier this year, the Canadian women threatened to lay down the tools at the SheBelieves Cup in the US, but reluctantly returned to the field after Canada Soccer threatened legal action.
Men’s coach John Herdman challenged Canada Soccer during the recent CONCACAF Nations League finals to “get real” when it comes to funding his side, saying rival teams are getting longer camps and more matches.
“I don’t know all the details about the men’s side, but we’re fighting the same fight,” Sinclair said. “I think we as players are afraid that as national teams we will be left behind when you see the support other federations put into their teams, in their youth programming, in professional leagues,
“If we want to stay relevant, yes, some things will have to change.”
