Players on Canada’s women’s and men’s national soccer teams have called on Sport Canada to investigate Canada Soccer’s “governance practices” and media and sponsorship contract with a private company called Canada Soccer Business (CSB), a day after TSN reported on a number of issues within the organization.
In a statement released Wednesday, players said they were “deeply troubled” by the contents of TSN’s reporting and said that it “raises serious questions about how Canada Soccer has made and continues to make important decisions that affect not only our teams, but the future of soccer in Canada.”
“As a united group of Canada’s national team players, we seek full transparency from Canada Soccer,” the players wrote in a statement. “We call for an investigation by Sport Canada of Canada Soccer's governance practices, and of the circumstances by which Canada Soccer entered into its agreement with Canada Soccer Business. This must include a closer look at the motivations of those who are said to have entered into this agreement without following basic standards of proper governance, and why the agreement was allowed to remain in place if concerns were expressed by board members. Moving forward, we call for the members of Canada’s national teams to be properly consulted in key Canada Soccer decisions impacting the national teams.”
On Tuesday, TSN reported that Canada Soccer board members have raised concerns that the organization’s nine-year media contract with CSB, which is owned by Canadian Premier League team owners, was not properly approved by Canada Soccer’s board.
The agreement calls for Canada Soccer to give up its media and sponsorship rights to both national teams in exchange for an annual guaranteed fee of between $3-$4 million per year. According to a copy of the contract, obtained by TSN, CSB can extend the contract through 2037, paying as little as $4 million per year.
The players wrote that they were also disturbed by Canada Soccer’s response to TSN’s reporting. The federation wrote that after years of negotiating with the men’s and women’s teams independently, it was putting “fairness and pay equity at the forefront” of negotiations with players. Canada Soccer also wrote it was “proud” of its “landmark partnership” with CSB.
“…Canada Soccer tries unsuccessfully to put a positive spin on what the article reveals,” the players wrote. “The statement fails to confirm that Canada Soccer will immediately open its books and records and address its lack of transparency on a go-forward basis. Since Canada Soccer does not acknowledge any problems with its governance or leadership, it also does not commit to addressing any of the problems identified in the article.”
The players wrote that soccer is at a critical moment in time in Canada and that they question whether Canada Soccer “can be a proper steward” of the game.
The reporting, the players wrote, “also raises serious concerns that the sponsorship and broadcast revenues associated with the national teams for the next 15 years – important future revenue streams that are growing as a result of the players’ success and the excitement surrounding the FIFA World Cup coming to Canada in 2026 – are being transferred to owners of a for-profit professional men's league and used instead for their benefit.”
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