The national women's team of Canada, led by captain Christine Sinclair, has announced that it will strike over concerns about pay equity and a lack of funding that they believe will affect their performances.
On Friday, the players jointly issued a statement criticizing Canada Soccer's "continued inability to support its national teams.".
On February 17, they will compete in the SheBelieves Cup against the Americans.
Sinclair told the television network TSN, "As a team, we have decided to take job action. external-link.
"Starting now, we won't take part in any [Canada Soccer] activities, including practice or competition, until this is resolved.
As an athlete who wants to compete and represent Canada, it's very difficult to say, "Enough is enough. ".
The following Women's World Cup will be held in Australia and New Zealand from 20 July to 20 August.
Canada won an Olympic gold medal in 2021 and is currently ranked sixth in the world.
The Canadian Soccer Players' Association (CSPA) issued a statement in which the players expressed their "outrage and deep concern" over reports of funding reductions at the national organization.
The statement said, "We are calling for immediate change.".
"We demand and deserve nothing less than to be treated equally and fairly and to have the funding necessary to support our program and World Cup preparations.
"Canada Soccer has left us feeling angry and extremely disrespected once more. ".
The men's team, which went on strike over World Cup prize money last year, has backed the statement.
After the statement was released, Sinclair and forward Janine Beckie jointly stated that the team would not participate in the SheBelieves match until the problems were resolved.
She explained that the action was being taken by both the men's and women's teams against a federation that had mistreated them for an excessive amount of time.
"At this time, neither training nor meetings are planned for us. We will not participate in any upcoming national team-related events that are scheduled. ".
Canada Soccer, which claims to have a "proven track record" of supporting the women's game, announced that it would meet with the women's team players on Saturday for additional discussions.
We're fed up with fighting for justice all the time.
The team's World Cup preparations would be impacted by Canada Soccer's decision to reduce training camp days and full camp windows, according to the joint player statement.
The team claimed Canada Soccer had been "patiently negotiating" with them for more than a year, but they had only received instructions to "make do with less".
They added that the "unacceptable burden" placed on their shoulders left them feeling "frustrated and deeply disrespected.".
The statement went on to say, "We are tired of always having to fight for fair and equal treatment, and for a program that will give us a chance to accomplish what we know this team is capable of accomplishing for Canada.
"This lack of support poses a threat to undo the advancements our soccer nation has made and relegate us to obscurity.
"We can no longer afford for the national teams to be the only ones fighting for our success. Long ago, enough was enough. ".
After "months of negotiations," Canada Soccer said it had made a "mutually agreed retroactive payment" to the team.
The governing body continued, "We have presented an equity-based proposal to our national teams and their counsel several months ago, and we are still awaiting a firm response to the terms of that proposal. external-link.
Men from Canada "wholeheartedly support" the women's team.
Eight months have passed since the men's national team of Canada went on strike over a different issue with Canada Soccer.
Men's players wrote a letter to the organization in June 2022, accusing it of "disrespecting" them in discussions about prize money for the Qatar World Cup in 2022.
The men's team released a statement on Friday expressing their "wholehearted support" for the women's team and their "deep disappointment" in Canada Soccer.
They further stated that it was "outrageous" that in the run-up to the Women's World Cup, their counterparts were not receiving enough support.
The men's team stated that "soccer in Canada is at a critical juncture in history.". external-link.
"The current leadership of Canada Soccer is jeopardizing this once-in-a-generation, if not once-in-a-lifetime, opportunity to grow the sport in Canada. ".
The next men's World Cup will be held in Canada, the United States, and Mexico in 2026.
