Ireland’s World Cup opponents Canada threaten to strike
CANADA captain Christine Sinclair has said the national team will go on strike this week over a lack of funding they believe will compromise their ability to perform at this year’s Women’s World Cup, where they are drawn in the same pool as Vera Pauw’s Ireland.
Less than a week before the Olympic champions are due to play the United States, Brazil and Japan in the SheBelieves Cup, Sinclair and Janine Beckie (right) appeared on TSN to say they will not take part in any team activities – including playing – until the dispute is resolved.
The interview came after both Canada’s women’s and men’s teams issued statements complaining about budget cuts for the women’s team from Canada Soccer, and demanding answers from the federation.
Sinclair said: ‘Some of us trained today with our shirts inside out, but the fact we haven’t heard from the CSA since we put in our demands – they haven’t even had the courtesy to reach out to us to schedule an emergency call – as a team we’ve decided to take job action.
‘From this moment on we will not be participating in any
Canadian Soccer Association activities until this is resolved, whether that’s training, whether that’s games. That’s very hard to say as an athlete who wants to compete, who wants to represent Canada but enough is enough.’
Former Manchester City forward Beckie added: ‘At this point we will not be training, we will not be attending meetings. Any scheduled activity with the national team in the near future we will not take part in.
‘If we get to next Thursday evening and this is not resolved, we will not be taking the field against the United States in the SheBelieves Cup.
‘This is the men and women’s team together taking action against a federation which has mistreated us for far too long, and we have been far too nice for far too long.’
The interview came shortly after members of the team issued a statement via the Canadian Soccer Players’ Association stating that preparations for the coming World Cup ‘are being compromised’.