The Canadian men’s soccer team has formed a players association as compensation negotiations continue with Canada Soccer.
The players and their governing body are trying to strike a deal before the November World Cup in Qatar.
The men are closely following the lead of the Canadian women’s team, represented by the Canadian Soccer Players Association (CSPA).
The news came Thursday from Canada Soccer, which said it had “agreed to voluntarily recognize” the Canada Men’s National Soccer Team Players Association (CMNSTPA).
Canada Soccer said the association includes players who have been called up to any men’s national team since January 2021.
Earl Cochrane, general secretary of Canada’s Soccer, said that the players’ union “creates a single point of contact right now.”
“It just simplifies things for us and makes it easier. We can talk often. We know where to look for answers and they know where to go (for) questions,” he said in an interview.
“There is reason to be optimistic, based on the fact that they have already taken this step,” he added. “And I think now it’s just continuing what we’ve done before, getting to a point where we find a deal and work this out well against Qatar.”
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Attempts to contact the law firm representing the players were not immediately successful.
Canada Soccer is waiting for its latest offer, made for both men and women by the end of June. At the time, they said they were looking to “balance issues related to player pool compensation, travel policy and the configuration of the high-performance environment” between the two teams.
Cochrane said the two sides are back and forth, asking and answering questions.
Qatar marked only Canada’s second trip to the Men’s World Cup, following the 1986 tournament in Mexico, where Canada kicked off after defeats to France, Hungary and the Soviet Union.
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And with FIFA paying out millions of dollars to competing teams, there’s a lot at stake for the current generation of players.
Dissatisfaction over the state of negotiations prompted the men to boycott a friendly match that had been scheduled with Panama in June in Vancouver, citing the talks “unnecessarily protracted.” about a new contract. The players said they wanted a larger share of World Cup prize money and a “comprehensive friends and family package” for the tournament.
They are said to be asking for an after-tax payment equivalent to 40% of the eight-figure payout expected for the World Cup.
Negotiations in June are handled by the players themselves, according to Canada Soccer. With the association, they can now turn to legal representation with the provincial labor laws in effect.
There are many things at stake.
At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, FIFA provided a total of $791 million to the 32 participating teams, a 40% increase over the 2014 tournament.
Of which, US$400 million was paid as prize money, ranging from US$38 million for the winning team, US$28 million for the runner-up and US$24 million for the third-place team to US$8 million. for each disqualified team. in the group stage.
Each qualifying team also receives US$1.5 million to cover preparation costs, meaning all teams are guaranteed at least US$9.5 million for each participating team.
Complicating matters is Canada Soccer’s agreement with Canada Soccer Business, the company in charge of all corporate partnerships and broadcasting rights related to Canada Soccer’s core assets, including international teams. men’s and women’s leagues as well as the Canadian Premier League.
While FIFA’s prize money is separate from that deal, which counted as a 10-year deal when it was signed in 2018, other matters involving national teams are also included.
Cochrane said discussions in June revolved around FIFA’s prize distribution.
“But when you go through these discussions, really the last thing asked is where your revenue comes from and how the players can reap the rewards of what they do on the pitch, ” he said. “And sometimes those conversations play out similar to how the CSB did.”
Is it possible to reopen that Canadian football business deal to facilitate a deal?
“I can’t really comment on it,” Cochrane said. “We will wait and see what results the negotiations bring while we have them.”
The Canadian men, currently ranked 43rd in the world, have friendly matches against number 49 Qatar on September 23 and number 13 Uruguay on September 27, both in Vienna, during the FIFA international. last before going to Qatar.
They also hope to have a match in Qatar before the tournament opens on 23 November with second place Belgium.
Canada coach John Herdman says he is not directly involved in player negotiations. But it’s clear that he wants the matter resolved sooner.
“It’s an area I’ve been fortunate to stay away from,” he told The Canadian Press. “The organization (Canada Soccer) was able to locate me to ensure that my relationship, the trust that I have built with the players, is not affected by these kinds of conversations.
“Hopefully there is progress. We really hope that we can just focus on football as we enter the September window (FIFA). And I will talk to my players. Now it’s just an important window to channel all of our energy into our team connection and ultimately what we’re doing on the field.
“There is no minute to wait now. There is not a single attention we can give other than getting our team to operate in a way that will have an impact at a World Cup. “
After Belgium, Canada played Croatia No. 15 on November 27 and No. 22 Morocco on December 1 in a Group F match.
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