Compensation talks with Canada's men's soccer team could continue beyond World Cup

The countdown to theWorld Cupin Qatar is fast approaching. At the same time,Canadian socceris under pressure to enter into an indemnification agreement with the men's national team.

Given the heightened attention and higher stakes associated with the first men's football showcase in 36 years, with the home World Cup in 2026 And there are many things on the negotiating table.

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Member of Men's National Team Leadership Group Toronto FC midfielder Marc Anthony Kaye said:

"The CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) is a big issue. I'm sure some parts will be completed before the World Cup starts," Kaye said in an interview. “Important things like World Cup rewards, family and friend packages (to participate in the tournament), etc. These are timely issues and must be completed before the (tournament) begins.

"And as for the others at CBA, keep going in the right direction and building a solid foundation." I think we can find an agreement about them.”

The Canadian men, currently ranked 43rd in the world by FIFA, will face No. 2 Belgium at the World Cup on 23 November. will play against

Men Vancouver In June, he boycotted a friendly match against Panama scheduled for .

The men subsequently formed a Players Association to support their cause.

READ MORE: Canada's men's soccer team forms players union, World Cup funding talks continue

``This moment It took us a while to get there, but we knew what we needed to do to protect our players on all fronts,” explains Kaye. "Especially when it comes to negotiations with Canadian football.

field. Given all the circumstances inside, it felt like it was too late to need a Players Association.

"It's definitely a positive step. We have a lawyer on board. This has definitely made the process a little smoother.” Toronto midfielder Jonathan Osorio also said the association could move negotiations forward “in a more efficient way.” I believe.

"I think we're optimistic that a deal will go through," he said. "At the same time, we players are more focused on playing in the World Cup than anything else.

"Now we have a legal representative to worry about everything else." 60}

That attorney is Aird & Berlis Law Firm.

Canadian Soccer submitted a new offer to the player in late June, and the player is preparing a formal response.

READ MORE: Canadian soccer offers new rewards for men's and women's national teams

We are working with the women's national team because we are interested in seeking fair compensation not only for women, but also for women," said Dasha Peregoudova, an attorney at Aird & Berlis. increase. "And obviously women have been pursuing it for a very long time."

It agreed to "voluntarily admit" the Players Association, allowing it to act as a bargaining agent for the team.

Canadian Taekwondo She was a former member of the team and Canadian Taekwondo She served as the team's ombudsperson. In a sense, he said, "They are very functioning as a union."

"This players association operates under the Ontario Labor Code or the Ontario Labor Relations Act," she added.

Also, Canadian football recognizes the association, so players do not have to go to the labor board to get accredited.

In 2016, Canada Soccer recognized the Canadian Soccer Players Association (CSPA) as the women's team's exclusive bargaining agent. I have my own lawyer.

Kay said the environment Canadian football has created for men is "not bad."

There are things.But there aren't many things that really need to be changed.That's why I'm sure the CBA can agree.But the importance of first knowing what the World Cup is, I don't think I think we all understand.”

One thing that needs to be leveled is improving travel arrangements for the women's team. This is not as good as the men's team.

"It's not going well," Kay said of the women's trip.

Kay said a man told women in Vancouver in her June:

"Canadian football should not take men away to develop women. Canadian football must find a way to elevate women players to the status of men."

"I feel more professional and my staff are happier," he says, Kaye. ``It makes us feel like we're being taken seriously.''

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World Cup, players are negotiating a cut in the FIFA World Cup prize money. This is expected to be at least $10 million for Canada and includes packages for bringing friends and family to Qatar. But income from sponsorships and likeness rights is also an important part of the negotiations, especially considering Canada will co-host her 2026 tournament with the United States and Mexico.

So players are asking for more information about signing with Canadian Football for 2018. Canadian marquee football property” to his CSB.

In his 2018 announcement announcing his deal with CSB, the new group would, among other things, "represent Canadian football, the women's and men's national teams, and all corporate partnerships and broadcast rights for his programs." is said to represent

Kay, who does not yet know the full terms of that deal, said, "I believe that Canadian Soccer has definitely waived our group's rights to his image without our approval." ' said.

"That's fine," he added.

Osorio added: ``This is the world we live in now. It is because of the players and staff within the team that we are here, and that is why we want to be compensated fairly so that we can move this sport forward in this country."

how they move forward," Kay said. "It's not the player's job to pry open doors or do anything like that. Canadian football needs to understand where we are and if we want to move forward, we need to find ways to improve the situation. We need to take a big step forward.”

Asked if business with CSB could be resumed to facilitate agreement Canadian Football Secretary General Earl Cochrane said: that. "

'Let's see how the deal goes,' he added.

The deal with CSB enabled the launch of the Canadian Premier League and ensured Canada would have its own domestic league. However, some feel that Canadian football has abandoned the future to secure the present.

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The Peregoudova & Berlis Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Workplace Law, Sports, Media and Entertainment Group, which is part of the Aird, said that the discussion so far has been "deeply focused on the issue of names, images and likeness (NIL)." No,” but with regards to the CSB deal, “players have certainly brought it up.I asked for information on those questions and how NIL-related issues might be impacted by the arrangement.

Previously, there were no collective bargaining agreements with men who "governed all the terms and conditions relating to their participation in the national team," she said.

Cochrane stresses that FIFA prize money is completely separate from her CSB contract. As such, Kay says it's viable for players to demand a split because it's "newfound money."

For the 2018 World Cup in Russia, FIFA is offering her 32 participating teams a total of $791 million Did. 2014 tournament.

Of that amount, $400 million was paid out in prize money, with $38 million for the winning team, $28 million for the runner-up team, $24 million for the third-place team, and $8 million for him. There was width. Each team that lost in the group stage.

For each eligible team, he also received $1.5 million in preparation costs. All teams were guaranteed at least $9.5 million for their participation.

Peregodova stated that the issue of prize money for his cup at Worlds was "he's one of many issues".

"And there are some issues that will feel even more important as the World Cup [in 2026] takes place in North America," she said.

In February 2019, Canada Soccer Business signed Spain-based Mediapro to her 10-year, $200 million deal. The deal gives Mediapro global and domestic media rights to the CPL, the Canadian Championship, and all home games of the Canadian men's and women's teams.

It also included rights to matches in League 1 Ontario, a feeder league under the CPL.

CPL and Canadian Football Business officials said at the time that the partnership would help football grow in Canada.

Mediapro produces matches for all Canadian National Teams under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Football Business.

Canadian director John Hardman understandably wants a quick resolution to the compensation issue.

"There is no time to waste now," said Hardman. He said he wasn't directly involved in player negotiations. "There's not one thing we can do other than make the team work in a way that makes an impact at the World Cup."

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