Men’s national team waiting for Canada Soccer’s response to offer, sources say

TSN Senior Correspondent

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The men’s national soccer team, which doesn’t have a contract agreement just two months before the World Cup begins in Qatar, is waiting for Canada Soccer to respond to an offer made nearly a month ago, two sources familiar with the matter told TSN.

Representatives for the players proposed on Aug. 25 that the men’s and women’s national teams share equally in an 80 per cent stake of the $10 million (U.S.) prize money Canada Soccer is to receive for the men’s team qualifying for this year’s World Cup, the sources said.

The offer was made during a Zoom meeting two weeks after Canada Soccer publicly recognized the Canadian Men’s National Soccer Team Players Association (CMNSTPA) as the bargaining agent for players invited by Canada Soccer to train or play for the men’s national team.

Player representatives with the Canadian Soccer Players Association, which represents players on the women's national team, declined to comment.

During the Aug. 25 meeting, lawyers for the men’s national team players also challenged the use of the images and likenesses of players by some of Canada Soccer’s corporate sponsors, a source told TSN, adding that the players’ lawyers asked the federation for a list of companies that have been given permission to use players’ images in marketing.

“The conversations with our Canadian National Teams are ongoing and progressing well and we will continue to negotiate in good faith,” Canada Soccer wrote in a statement to TSN. “The objective remains to collectively find a resolution based on the values of fairness and equal pay, and the best way to do that is to continue negotiating internally and through our respective legal counsel. We will continue to respect