Canada is going through the sweetest moment in its short football history since it decided to enter the world of soccer. With little tradition in a country historically dominated by winter sports, and especially by the admired ice hockey, year after year football tries to gain space in society. And it is already beginning to bear fruit.
In recent months, the North American country has been proud of the successes achieved by its national teams in the beautiful game. Both male and female. The women made history by hanging the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games after the bronze medals in London 2012 and Rio 2016. Meanwhile, the men qualified for the first time in a World Cup since 1986 by finishing ahead of the United States and Mexico. in Concacaf, never seen before. But all that glitters is not gold.
The existing tensions between footballers and the federation have provoked the rebellion of the men’s team, the most privileged of the two. The players decided not to show up for the friendly they had scheduled against Panama this Sunday in protest, considering that Canada Soccer ignored their demands. The game at Vancouver’s BC Place was called off two hours before kick-off despite the internationals’ refusal to train in the days before.
The gesture of solidarity in search of equal pay among those selected, regardless of whether they are men or women, is the most striking request on their wish list, especially since this involvement in men’s football is usually infrequent. The ‘strike’ comes months after the neighboring United States and current world champion achieved the equal pay that players like Megan Rapinoe or Alex Morgan, among others, fought for.
“We request an equitable structure with our women’s national team, that they receive the same as us per game, as well as the same prize percentage in the FIFA World Cups. We also want the creation of a women’s domestic league”, can be read in the statement issued by the players.
The Canadian men’s team, in negotiations since March, wants 40% of the money received for participating in Qatar 2022 and a travel package for friends and family, “unsustainable” demands, says the federation.
“The solution is to find a way forward that is fair and equitable for all. We would like to have a fact-based discussion within the fiscal realities that Canada Soccer has to live with every day,” responded chairman Nick Bontis, who he apologized to the fans who had bought their tickets to see the clash.
According to Bontis, Canada has committed to offering the same means to the women’s team, although the players will not accept any agreement that does not include equal pay. It should be remembered that the women occupy sixth place in the FIFA ranking, while the men’s team, which has grown thanks to players such as Alphonso Davis (Bayern) or Jonathan David (Lille) and is coached by former women’s coach John Herdman, occupies the position number 38.
Salary equality in football is a claim that is beginning to become effective in the national teams, although still in a trickle. In addition to the United States, Norway, the Netherlands, England, Australia or Brazil already took the step long ago.
It is the second friendly that Canada has suspended for this date after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rejected a match against Iran. In January 2020, Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 carrying 85 Canadian citizens was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile minutes after taking off from Tehran.
It will be necessary to see if in the next few days the negotiations between the two parties serve to reach an agreement. The maple leaf team has two Concacaf Nations League matches scheduled: against Curaçao next Thursday and against Honduras on June 13. These games should serve to test the team for the World Cup that starts in November. They have a huge challenge ahead of them, as they were paired with Belgium, Croatia and Morocco, difficult rivals.
