Canada’s women’s football team to go on strike over pay cuts
Key takeaways:
- Canada skipper Christine Sinclair says national Canada’s women’s football team will go on strike over salary equity concerns and a lack of budget that they feel will compromise their performances.
The players of Canada’s women’s football team released a joint report on Friday criticising Canada Football’s “continued inability to support its national squads”.
They are set to meet the United States in the SheBelieves Cup on 17 February. “As a group, we have chosen to take job action,” Sinclair revealed to broadcaster TSN.
Canada’s women’s football team will strike as there is a lack of budget:
“From now on, we will only participate in [Canada Soccer] actions once this is fixed – training or matches. “That’s very difficult to say as an athlete who wants to contend and represent Canada, but enough is enough.”
The following Women’s World Cup is from 20 July to 20 August in Australia and New Zealand. Canada sits sixth in the world rankings and won Olympic gold in 2021.
In a report released by the Canadian Soccer Players’ Association (CSPA), athletes said they are “outraged and extremely concerned” by reporting budget cuts at the national body.
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“We are requesting the immediate change,” the statement said. “We hope and deserve nothing less than to be treated equally and equitably and to have our program and World Cup trials funded properly.”
“We are left feeling frustrated and, once again, extremely scorned by Canada Soccer.” The statement has been backed by the men’s squad, who went on strike last year in a debate over World Cup prize cash.
Striker Janine Beckie, speaking with Sinclair after the statement’s release, said the squad would not play the SheBelieves game if the issues were not fixed.
“This is the men and women’s squad taking action against a federation which has mistreated us for far too long, and we have been far too friendly for far too long,” she told.
