Canadian players went on strike and refused to play against Panama in a private match, demanding the distribution of prize money related to qualification for the 2022 World Cup. The last time Canadians played the soccer World Cup was in 1986, the year of the Saltillo Case – Portugal national team players went on strike during training, demanded improvements in match prizes and reforms at the federation.
In a statement, Canadians, including Stephen Eustáquio, of FC Porto, and Steven Vitória, of Moreirense, expressed their dissatisfaction with the behavior of the federation, which has dragged on the matter for months. Faced with the ineffectiveness of the organization, they decided to skip the duel with Panama, apologizing to the fans. “It has been a great privilege and responsibility to represent and play for our country the last two days.
At stake, according to players, is the evolution of football in Canada, as well as prize equality with the women’s team, FIFA’s sixth place and a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. “We want a leadership that can optimize the positive moments of the election and which generates revenue to be used in the evolution of the sport in the country. Women’s league and participation prizes that account for 40% of the proceeds from participating in the World Cup”, reads the list of requirements, published by the media Canada.
In the same document, the players stated that they started negotiations with the federation in March, but only now, on June 4th, did they get the first response. “Canadian Football Executive [federação] strangely decided to take a vacation so the negotiation process need not be extended,” they added.
The Canadian Federation only informed that the meeting with Panama had been cancelled. The next team meeting is scheduled for Thursday, in Vancouver, against Curaçao, for the CONCACAF Nations League.
