by Canada Soccer’s strained relationship with its national teams is worsening somewhat, as the women’s team announced Friday plans to go on strike with less than six months to go before the 2023 World Cup.
The group released a statement explaining their decision to strike, while demanding better treatment and equal pay and condemning the actions of the federation’s leadership.
“The Canadian Women’s National Soccer Team is both outraged and deeply concerned by news of significant cuts to the national team’s 2023 schedules,” the statement read.
Reigning Olympic champions and three-time medalists, the women’s team has been the driving force behind Canada’s success on the international stage for the better part of two decades. Despite this, their budgets at all levels have repeatedly been slashed due to financial hardship, resulting in smaller and smaller training camps, cuts to youth programs, and unanswered questions about financial compensation.
“We have been patiently negotiating with Canada Soccer for more than a year,” the statement read. “As our World Cup approaches, the women’s national team players are being told to prepare to perform at a world-class level without the same level of support the men’s national team received in 2022, and with significant cuts to our schedule – to simply settle for less.”
After reaching their breaking point, the players announced their intention to receive fair and equitable treatment by any means necessary. This comes in light of the fact that the team is days away from participating in the SheBelieves Cup against other international powerhouses ahead of this summer’s Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
“If Canada Soccer is not willing or able to support our team, new leadership should be found. We are committed to doing whatever it takes to raise awareness of this crisis and force Canada Soccer to start properly supporting teams national”. he concluded the statement.
Christine Sinclair and Janine Beckie confirmed the players’ strike to TSN’s Rick Westhead on Friday, citing ongoing pay equity issues and program budget cuts.
“To say we are outraged is an understatement,” Beckie said. “There really are no words to describe how it feels to be here on the pitch with the national team and knowing that we are not being given the same resources that our men’s team had last year to prepare for the World Cup… right word. But it’s so incredibly unfair to the women, the staff and everyone who supports this team, works for this team, is a fan of this team. We’ve had enough. It’s gone far, too far.”
“It hurts, I won’t lie,” said Sinclair, arguably the best soccer player Canada has ever produced. “We all represent this country with pride. We’ve shared some of the greatest moments together. But don’t feel that the support of your own federation has been tough in the past. But we’ve gotten to a point where, at least for me personally, until “Until this is resolved I cannot represent this federation. I am such a competitor it breaks my heart and kills me.”
The men’s players give their full support to CWNT
The men’s national team players readily showed support for their counterparts, sharing your own statement. They even called on Canadian Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge to intervene if Canada Soccer does not “take immediate action to address players’ requests and concerns.”
The men are no strangers to deadlocks with the federation over repeated contract disputes. The team refused to take part in a crucial World Cup build-up match against Panama and nearly lost a CONCACAF Nations League match against Curaçao.
Both teams have teamed up to pressure Canada Soccer to reveal more information about their financial practices, but have yet to do so.
Canada Soccer has yet to comment on either statement.
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