OTTAWA, 11 Feb. (dpa/EP) –
Canada women’s soccer team captain Christine Sinclair has confirmed that the national team will go on strike this week over a lack of funding that they believe will compromise their ability to perform at this year’s Women’s World Cup in Oceania.
Less than a week before the Olympic champions take on the United States, Brazil and Japan in the SheBelieves Cup, Sinclair and Janine Beckie appeared on Canadian sports channel TSN to say they will not participate in any team activities, including matches, until that the conflict is resolved.
The interview came after Canada’s men’s and women’s teams issued statements complaining about budget cuts for the women’s team by the Canadian Soccer Association and demanding answers from the federation.
“Some of us have trained today with our shirts on backwards, but since we haven’t heard from the federation since we filed our lawsuits, they haven’t even had the courtesy to contact us to set up an emergency call, as a team. we have decided to take labor action,” Sinclair said.
“As of this moment we will not participate in any Canadian Soccer Association activity until this is resolved, be it in training or in games. It is very hard to say it as an athlete who wants to compete, who wants to represent Canada, but enough is enough. “, he stated.
For her part, Beckie, a former Manchester City striker, insisted that the players will not move until everything is resolved. “From this moment we will not train, we will not attend rallies. We will not participate in any activities scheduled with the national team in the near future. If we get to next Thursday afternoon and this is not resolved, we will not take the field against the United States in the SheBelieves Cup,” he stressed.
“The men’s and women’s teams are together taking action against a federation that has mistreated us for too long, we have been too kind for too long,” he added.
The interview came shortly after team members issued a statement through the Canadian Soccer Players Association, saying preparations for the next World Cup “are being jeopardized by the federation’s continued inability to support its National teams”.
According to the statement, the Canadian Soccer Association has cut the time dedicated to the rallies, as well as the number of players and staff invited to them. They have also been told there will be no home friendlies before the World Cup, which kicks off in Australia and New Zealand in July.
“We are tired, tired of constantly having to fight for fair and equitable treatment, and for a program that gives us the opportunity to achieve what we know this team is capable of achieving for Canada. This lack of support threatens to reverse progress what we have done as a footballing nation and send us back to oblivion. For our team to continue to be strong globally, we need a federation that supports us at the level expected of us: globally,” they said in a statement.
In addition, they point out that “significant sums of money and resources have been invested in our men’s team to ensure that there are no gaps in their preparation for the 2022 Men’s World Cup,” while the women’s team is being asked to perform without the same back.
Celtic right-back Alistair Johnson published a statement from the Canadian men’s team supporting the position of his teammates.
The statement said the Canadian Soccer Association had “consistently rejected or blatantly ignored” requests from the Players Association for financial information to back up its claims that it needs to make program cuts, or to explain where it had gone. to stop the money from the sponsors.
“We now know that due to financial and other mismanagement, the federation claims it does not have the necessary funds to provide the women’s national team players with the working conditions and matches they need to prepare for the 2023 Women’s World Cup. It is outrageous and demands an immediate and urgent response,” they said.
For its part, the Canadian Soccer Association explained that “pay equity” is “at the center of ongoing negotiations with the players.” “After months of negotiations with our women’s national team players and their legal advisers, the federation has already issued a mutually agreed retroactive payment,” she stressed.
“We have also previously informed our women’s team that the ‘Friends and Family’ programme, awarded to our men’s team in Qatar, will be replicated for our women at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. This is real change, but there is still a long way to go. to do. To continue this important work, we need a collective agreement that allows us to responsibly plan for the future,” he said.
“Several months ago we presented a proposal based on equity to our national teams and their lawyers, and we are still waiting for a definitive response to the terms of that proposal,” he said, assuring that they will meet this weekend in Orlando (United States). with the players to “continue the conversations”. “We want this resolved, for our two national teams and for soccer in Canada,” she concluded.