Canada’s national team is facing a difficult situation right now. After qualifying for the World Cup for the first time 36 years later, the Canadians’ first FIFA encounter is marred by a team strike.

A friendly game would be played last Sunday (5) against Panama in Vancouver, but the duel ended up being called off with just over an hour before the opening whistle due to a boycott by players who published an official note.

Players are protesting against the federation’s huge delay in a new financial agreement to replace the current model in force since 2018. The team demands 40% of the prize money for participation in the World Cup, greater transparency in commercial agreements and ensure that family members and friends can be part of the delegation in Qatar.

Finally, Canadian players are also demanding equal conditions and structures for the women’s national team that will compete in the FIFA World Cup in 2024.

Canada had to change opponents to friendly

It should be noted that the original adversary of this friendly would be Iran, but the Canadian federation was criticized by the government and the population for having chosen as an adversary a country which would have lacked respect for the victims of the plane crash. commercial in 2020 shot down by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards where 55 Canadians died.

Nick Bontis, president of the Canadian Soccer Association, held an emergency press conference and said the demands were valid. However, he specifies that the federation is not able to comply with it.