Canadian men back at training, but not the table
VANCOUVER — Team Canada was back at training, but the men say there’s still work to be done on reaching a new deal with the Soccer Canada.
A friendly game against Panama was cancelled Sunday after the Canadian athletes refused to play, citing “unnecessarily prolonged” negotiations over a new contract.
Training sessions on Friday and Saturday were also scrapped due to the dispute.
The players met with senior leaders of Canada Soccer on Sunday night, and the team resumed training at the Whitecaps’ facility Monday. The group will also train Tuesday before kicking off CONCACAF Nations League play against Curacao in Vancouver on Thursday.
“(We) will continue the negotiation process, but questions have yet to be answered and actions have yet to be taken,” the players said in a statement Monday. “We move forward in hopes that Canada Soccer will work with us to resolve the situation.”
Compensation appears to be a sticking point. In a statement released Sunday, the players said they’re asking for World Cup compensation that includes 40% of prize
money and a “comprehensive friends and family package” for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
It’s the first time the country will play in the World Cup since 1986. FIFA announced on April 1 that the total World Cup prize pool will be US$440 million, with the winner taking $42 million. Teams eliminated in the group stage will take home $9 million.
By contrast, the U.S. received $4 million for winning the 2019 Women’s World Cup, where the total purse was $30 million.
Canada Soccer president Nick Bontis told reporters Sunday the organization was offering players 30% of the winnings.
He said the proposal players have put forward is not financially viable.
“My job as president is a responsibility to the fiduciary and stable health of this organization, not just for the last 120 years that we’ve been alive, but for the next 100 years we’re going to be alive,” Bontis said at a press conference. “And I can’t accept an offer that will put our organization in a financial position that is untenable.”
The players are also asking for equitable compensation between the men’s and women’s teams, sharing player match fees and percentage of World Cup prize money. They’re also asking for the development of a women’s domestic league.
FIFA President Gianni Infantio has proposed doubling the prize money to $60 million for the 2023 Women’s World Cup, in which FIFA has increased the teams from 24 to 32.