Canadian national team players have asked the national governing body, Canada Soccer, to settle the pay dispute before they leave for the Women’s World Cup that will take place in Australia and New Zealand.
Canada Soccer and its men’s and women’s teams have been involved in pay dispute for over a year.
In February, during the SheBelieves Cup, the Canada women’s team missed a training session to protest and threaten to boycott the four-team tournament after raising concerns over pay equity and budget cuts by Canada Soccer.
The women’s team, who are the current Olympic champions, have been without a collective bargaining agreement since the last one expired in 2021.
They reached an agreement in principle with Canada Soccer on compensation for 2022, but say other issues have not been resolved.
Canada captain, Christine Sinclair, said: “We’re not at a point where we’re not getting on a plane, but time’s coming where we want it done so as players we’re not having to deal with it while we’re trying to prepare.
“Obviously there has been a lot of changeover at the CSA (Canada Soccer) in recent months. We knew this was going to be a fight. We knew it was going to take some time.
“But us as a women’s team have flat out told the CSA that we need a deal in place for at least the World Cup and this year before we head down there. So obviously we’re getting close. I think it will happen. Will it be a long-term deal? No. But something will be done before the World Cup starts.”
Canada will report to a pre-World Cup tournament in Australia on June 28. The team will flag off its campaign on July 21 against Nigeria before playing Ireland and co-hosts Australia.
Also, the men’s team is working with Canada Soccer for their first official labor agreement. Both men’s and women’s teams have taken job action.
Sinclair added: “I don’t know all the details on the men’s side of things but we’re fighting the same fight.
“I think us as players, we fear that we as national teams could get left behind when you see the support that other federations are putting into their teams, putting into their youth programming, putting into professional leagues.
“If we want to remain relevant, yes, some things are going to have to change.”
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