Canada’s men’s soccer team refused to play a scheduled World Cup warmup match against Panama amid a contract dispute between the players and the sport’s national governing body.
Canada Soccer confirmed the match, scheduled for Sunday at Vancouver’s B.C. Place, was cancelled less than two hours before kickoff. Hundreds of disappointed fans dressed in red and white uniforms lingered outside the stadium after the news broke.
The Canadian players issued a statement Sunday afternoon saying they decided not to play the game because the negotiations over a new deal had been “unnecessarily prolonged.”
“It’s time we take a stand for the future of soccer in Canada,” the statement said, noting that the talks began in March.
The players said they want more transparency from Canada Soccer, changes in the organization’s leadership, and World Cup compensation that includes 40 per cent of prize money and a “comprehensive friends and family package” for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
“We want to work together with our organization, but the relationship has been strained for years,” the statement said. “And now, Canada Soccer has disrespected our team and jeopardized our efforts to raise the standards and effectively advance the game in Canada.”
The proposal the players have put forward is not financially viable, said Canada Soccer president Nick Bontis.
“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,” he said at a Sunday afternoon press conference. “And I can’t accept that offer that will put our organization in a financial position that is untenable.”
Players also want a review of the deal Canada Soccer signed with Canadian Soccer Business in 2019. The 10-year agreement sees Canadian Soccer Business represent both the men’s and women’s national teams in all sponsorship and broadcast deals.
The players’ statement said the deal “completely compromised (Canada Soccer’s) ability to leverage the on-field success of our senior national teams.”
“We need the terms of this agreement to be disclosed and corrected,” it said. “We want to know who signed this deal that has handcuffed our association. Why have Canada Soccer given up autonomy of the greatest opportunity to grow our program in years?”
Bontis defended the agreement, saying Canada Soccer Business has been “pivotal” to building the sport in Canada.
Canada Soccer Business chair Scott Mitchell issued a statement Sunday night saying he “fully supports” the call for more transparency from Canada Soccer.
“We are proud of our agreement with Canada Soccer and what it means to the Canadian soccer ecosystem,” he said. “We are prepared to be fully transparent about our agreement which has included an unprecedented amount of revenue to Canada Soccer in the past 18 months in the forms of sponsorship and international media dollars.”
The players are also asking for an equitable compensation structure for the men’s and women’s teams, and the development of a women’s domestic league.
The U.S. Soccer Federation recently agreed to collective bargaining agreements that equalized compensation for the men’s and women’s teams for the first time.
Canada cancelled a pair of training sessions scheduled for Friday and Saturday due to the contract dispute.
With the World Cup set to begin in November, the Canadians are missing out on valuable time together on the field, Bontis said.
“I’m sorry that the game didn’t occur today, not just for the fans. But I’m sorry for the technical staff, the coaching staff,” he said. “(Head coach) John Herdman, at the beginning of this window, had 16 training sessions with the national team between now and Qatar. That number went to 14 today.
“We cannot afford to lose these opportunities to have our men display the performance that I know they’re capable of when they go to Qatar.”
The men’s team has not played on home soil since it beat Jamaica 4-0 in Toronto on March 27 and clinched a spot in the World Cup. It’s been even longer since the squad played in Vancouver, with its last appearance coming in March 2019, when Canada beat French Guiana 4-1 in CONCACAF Nations League qualifying.
Canada, ranked 38th in the world, is scheduled to kick off CONCACAF Nations League play against No. 79 Curacao in Vancouver on June 9.
“We want to apologize to our fans,” the players said in their statement. “Playing at home with your support is everything to us. We hope Canada Soccer will take decisive steps to work with our team so we can be back on the field for our match (in Vancouver) on June 9.”
Canada Soccer could face fines if the men’s team withdraws from the Nations League competition.
It’s a scenario the organization is still looking to avoid, Bontis said.
“If we cannot arrive at a deal, and the players refuse to play the Curacao match, that will be a CONCACAF issue to address under the auspices of FIFA,” he said. “But our intention has always been to continue to come up with a solution as soon as possible.”
It’s not the first time Canada Soccer has cancelled a game scheduled for the current international window. Canada was initially set to host Iran in a friendly at B.C. Place on Sunday, but the match drew heavy criticism, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying it “wasn’t a very good idea” to invite the Iranian team to play.
An Iranian surface-to-air missile shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 on Jan. 8, 2020 shortly after takeoff from Tehran, killing 176 people, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents.
More than 40,000 tickets for the Canada-Iran game were sold before it was cancelled by Canada Soccer on May 26. Panama was named as the replacement opponent on May 31.
Canada has not played in a World Cup since 1986. It’s set to open this year’s tournament on Nov. 23 against No. 2 Belgium before facing No. 16 Croatia on Nov. 27 and No. 24 Morocco on Dec. 1.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2022.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
