A look at Canada’s soccer player strike and what caused it

Recent weeks for Canadian Soccer have been quite controversial and scandalous with public disagreement, statements, and finger-pointing. All of this led to the cancellation of the scheduled Canada’s men’s team-friendly match against Panama just a few hours before kickoff.

This happened just a week after their planned June friendly match against Iran was cancelled after it saw a major public and political backlash. A few months back, the Canadian men’s soccer team qualified for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, 36 years since their last appearance in the biggest soccer event on the planet.

There were many bettors visiting BetStation’s best sports betting sites in order to place a bet on the upcoming Canadian friendly matches, only to find out that it was cancelled.

Why was the friendly match against Panama cancelled?

Everything was set at BC Place in Vancouver for the soccer match against Canada and Panama to begin, but around 5 PM CET on June the 5th, just two hours before the game’s kickoff, the Canadian Soccer Association has officially announced that it was cancelling the friendly match against Panama.

The friendly match was called off after the Canadian players announced that they won’t appear on the field as a protest against the lack of financial transparency by Canada Soccer. This was in a way anticipated by the players, as they have cancelled training sessions in the days before the match.

They’ve also released a joint statement to the members of the media where they’ve revealed their reluctant decision not to play in the match against Panama. Additionally, in the statement, the players have made several demands to their national federation.

What was set to be a set of preparation for the long-awaited 2022 Qatar World Cup, has turned out to be a brawl between the Canadian soccer players and the national federation.

What caused the strike?

The Canadian players are seeking changes in the way the national soccer team program is being run by the national federation, by demanding a much more transparent approach from Canada Soccer. This was listed as part of their negotiations for a new contract with the organization.

In the player’s statement, they are arguing about the major success of both the Women’s and Men’s national teams over the course of last season and seek changes, especially in the financing of the players. The players revealed that their relationship with Canada Soccer was tense for years.

They’ve also stated that the organization disrespected the whole team and jeopardized their effort for raising the standards of the game in Canada by constantly delaying contract discussions and waiting for the 2nd of June to arrive in order to present an archaic offer.

By the way, the contract discussions between both sides had begun back in March. All of this led to the player’s reluctant decision not to play against Panama in the friendly match on June 5th and instead took a stand for the future of Canadian soccer.

The players also outlined a list of demands that they called “fundamental elements”, which they stand behind in order to shift soccer in Canada. Amongst the demands was also a review of the 10-year media and sponsorship agreement that was struck in 2019 with an organization called Canadian Soccer Business, which is owned by the Canadian Premier League founders.

Next on the list of demands was the call for a leadership team that is capable of optimizing this special moment and generating revenue from corporate sponsorship. The players also demand a World Cup compensation that is set at 40% of the prize money.

They also ask for a comprehensive package for the friends and family for the 2022 Qatar World Cup and for more former players to be integrated into the leadership positions within the Canada Soccer organization.

Amongst the most remarkable demands are the one which states that the women’s national team should share the same player match fees, the same percentage of the prize money earned from the FIFA World Cups, and the needed development of a women’s domestic league.

Lastly, the Canadian players are specifically citing the long-term contract with Canadian Soccer Business because they feel it has completely compromised the organization’s ability to exploit the success of the national teams and tied the hands of the soccer association.

A look at Canada’s soccer player strike and what caused it

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