VANCOUVER – As the Canadian men’s national team flicked on the lights at BC Place for World Cup preparation ahead of Thursday’s match against Curacao, the players remain in the dark about ongoing labour negotiations.
The team returned to training after Sunday’s friendly against Panama was cancelled hours before kickoff due to an ongoing labour dispute with Canada Soccer. Both parties returned to the negotiating table during the week with acting general secretary Earl Cochrane running point on the federation’s side.
“The last couple of days have been positive, perhaps even more than positive,” Cochrane stated with optimism. “The fact that the guys were back on the field the day after, we’ve met a few times, they’ve been great. They’ve been really, really good. They’ve been asking questions, answering questions.
“It’s been equal parts education, equal parts negotiation. … It’s early conversations, which we’ve already had, kind of set the groundwork for understanding and knowing what we both needed to do. And then, to some degree, it’s allowing professionals to get along with the negotiation and allow them to be footballers.”
Apart from open letters to the public, the players have been relatively silent.
Until Wednesday.
“We’re just looking for transparency,” said captain Atiba Hutchinson. “We’ve been working on getting legal representation, so that’s where we’re at on that front. That’s what we’re looking to do. So from here, we’ll leave that with the representatives.
“I think it’s a broader picture [issue].”
The men’s team is still finalizing its search for legal representation and will pass the negotiations onto the lawyers once that is sorted.
South of the border, U.S. Soccer negotiated a historic collective bargaining agreement that included equal pay for the women’s team. That CBA entitles players to 90 per cent of World Cup prize money. Canada Soccer’s offer to the players was 60 per cent, split between the men and women, while the players were searching for 80 per cent, or 40 for each team.
Hutchinson revealed that “not much” of the U.S. deal is impacting these negotiations with Canada Soccer.
Cochrane believes that the deal did play a factor even though there are differences.
“Like most things the Americans do, it generally influences things,” said Cochrane. “It was a blueprint that allowed for the conversations to happen. I think that ours, and our discussions, have been maybe more of a hybrid of all of that. But it certainly changed the conversation.”
But an “equitable structure” between the men and women remains a demand for the players. The women’s team made it known that equal percentages of FIFA windfalls doesn’t fall under their definition of equal pay.
The two teams have spoken since their statements were posted and all three parties remain in discussion.
“We can negotiate [the deals]separately but I think they need to be contemplated,” said Cochrane. “If we’re going to get to a place where we really are fair and equitable, then there’s going to be a very similar outcome on both sides.
“We’re just looking for it to be equal,” Hutchinson said. “I think that’s the fairest thing … We’ve been speaking with them, so we’re arranging for things to be worked out in the right way, which is only fair and only right for everybody.”
Cancelling Sunday’s game was clearly a difficult decision for all parties, especially the fans who travelled from out of town. Apologies were made on both sides in the immediate aftermath, though the damage has likely been done.
“Obviously it was a tough decision for us on the team,” said Hutchinson. “We had a lot of our friends that were looking forward to that game to come out and support us, obviously us coming here and playing in front of our home fans, at home, which we hadn’t done for a little while, especially here in Vancouver, so it took a lot for us. But in our eyes, we felt like we needed to make a stance and we felt that we truly believe that was the right thing for us to do as a group.”
Having taken a stand, the team returned to training on Monday with potential sanctions from Concacaf and FIFA looming if the Curacao game wasn’t played.
“We want to be on the pitch,” said Hutchinson. “We’re playing for our country. We’ve got a lot of fans that are finally behind us, supporting us, so although we know things are not done, things are not settled, we just thought of the bigger picture and we feel like things will get taken care of and we’ll get back on the pitch.”
A return to normalcy is apparent, even though these negotiations will linger in the background in future games until it’s resolved.
But there is a bigger goal at hand, one that’s 36 years in the making.
“I think for the staff, myself, the players, it has been really emotional,” said coach John Herdman. “The role I’ve played, it’s a thin line when you’re a coach. I love these guys, we’ve been in some battles together and I respect where they’re coming from. I’ve seen the sacrifices they’ve made. I’ve seen what they’ve earned on the journey. I’ve seen guys do an ACL while playing for their country and putting their careers on the line, so I get it. But also recognize Qatar is just around the corner.”
Plans for Sunday were obviously scrapped with the cancellation. Herdman wanted to experiment with new players and could’ve potentially added some tactical wrinkles to an already loaded arsenal as well.
The likes of Ike Ugbo, Dayne St. Clair and uncommitted multi-national Luca Koleosho, who has since left the camp, could’ve featured heavily on Sunday.
But while the staff was preparing for a game, the players were caught up in other matters and it was a conflicting set of emotions for Herdman.
“The players were very clear with the role they wanted me to play and the organization, the president, the general secretary, were clear,” Herdman explained. “They know I’ve built up a lot of trust with this group and for coaches, that takes time.
“I think getting right in the middle of this just wasn’t the right move for me. But I’ve listened and I empathize with the lads, I really do, and I understand Canada Soccer’s position. I work in the organization and I know some of the financial realities. But I do understand these boys are fighting for something more than just putting pay in their pockets.”
Even though this has been a PR nightmare for Canada Soccer and the men’s national team, there is some reason for optimism. Should a deal be agreed, it sets up a baseline for future deals and will enable the federation to grow as the 2026 World Cup in Canada approaches.
“I don’t think we’ll ever see that again,” Herdman said of the past few days. “This country wasn’t ready for what just happened. Thirty-six years since we’ve been to a World Cup. No one knew what was coming. No one was ready for this type of negotiation. We have made mistakes on both sides and we can’t make them again. The next generation of leaders and players, they’re not going to make their mistakes again. The processes will be in place now, people know what’s going to happen. I guarantee there’s many countries at this World Cup that went through something very similar, but not now.”
NOTES: Cochrane revealed that friendlies for September are “pretty close” to being finalized and will be announced when they’re official … The financial impact of the cancellations isn’t known but “it’ll be significant,” according to Cochrane.
