Canada’s Women Escalate Equal Pay Fight and Find Ally in U.S. Team

“I mean, we’re just, like, exhausted,” she said.

Morgan empathized with the Canadian players. She said she remembered when the U.S. team was in its equal pay fight with its own federation, and that it drained the team’s focus. It’s one reason the Canadian federation should address the team’s concerns, she said — and quickly resolve them.

“The last thing they want is a burden on their shoulders going into a World Cup,” Morgan said.

On Wednesday, the Canadian players were already thinking about a game day protest when they wore their training jerseys inside out, a public gesture previously employed by the American team during its equal pay fight. Canada did not want to show its federation logo and was opposed to playing at this week’s SheBelieves Cup. Considering how badly the federation had been treating them, they said, the players did not want to represent it at all.

Their fight is not new. For more than a year, Canada’s women’s national team players have demanded that their federation provide them with equal pay, equal treatment and equal working conditions compared to Canada’s men’s team. This week, with the players exhausted by months of failed negotiations and outraged by recent budget cuts, the simmering feud boiled over.

The players went on strike. The federation responded with threats. Statements were issued. Raw feelings were aired.

“We feel as though our federation has let us down,” forward Janine Beckie said.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/16/sports/soccer/canada-us-women-equal-pay.html