Bontis on proposal from Canadian Men's National Team: 'I can't accept that offer'

VANCOUVER — Canada's men's soccer team refused to play a scheduled World Cup warmup match on Sunday against Panama amid a contract dispute between the players and the sport's national governing body.

Canada Soccer confirmed the match, scheduled for B.C. Place in Vancouver, was cancelled less than two hours before kickoff. Hundreds of disappointed fans dressed in red and white uniforms lingered outside the stadium after the news broke.

The Canadian players issued a statement Sunday afternoon saying they decided not to play the game because the negotiations over a new deal had been "unnecessarily prolonged."

"It's time we take a stand for the future of soccer in Canada," the statement said, noting that the talks began in March.

The players said they want more transparency from Canada Soccer, changes in the organization's leadership, and World Cup compensation that includes 40 per cent of prize money and a "comprehensive friends and family package" for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

"We want to work together with our organization, but the relationship has been strained for years," the statement said. "And now, Canada Soccer has disrespected our team and jeopardized our efforts to raise the standards and effectively advance the game in Canada."

The proposal the players have put forward is not financially viable, said Canada Soccer president Nick Bontis.

"My job as president is a responsibility to the fiduciary and stable health of this organization, not just for the last 120 years that we've been alive, but for the next 100 years we're going to be alive," he said at a Sunday afternoon press conference. "And I can't accept that offer that will put our organization in a financial position that is untenable."

Players also want a