Canada Want Pay Dispute Resolved Before Women’s World Cup

Players of the Canadian national team have urged the national governing body, Canada Soccer, to settle a pay dispute before they leave for the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Canada Soccer and its men’s and women’s teams have been involved in a labor dispute for more than a year.

In February, at the SheBelieves Cup, the Canada women’s team sat out a practice session in protest and threatened to boycott the four-team tournament after expressing concerns over pay equity and budget cuts by Canada Soccer.

The women’s team, who are Olympic champions, have been without a collective bargaining agreement since the last one expired at the end of 2021.

They struck an agreement in principle with Canada Soccer on compensation for 2022, but say other issues have yet to be resolved.

“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,” Canada captain Christine Sinclair said, according to the Canadian Press.

“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 is due to report to a pre-World Cup tournament in Australia on June 28. The team, which is in Group B at the World Cup, will begin its campaign on July 21 against Nigeria before facing Ireland and co-hosts Australia.

The men’s team is also working with Canada Soccer for their first formal labor agreement. Both men’s and women’s teams have taken job action.

“I don’t know all the details on the men’s side of things but we’re fighting the same fight,” Sinclair added.

“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.”

About a year ago, Canada’s rivals to the south, the United States, agreed to resolve a years-long dispute over equal pay with its governing body U.S. Soccer. The U.S. women are the most successful in international soccer with four World Cup titles.