Women’s soccer players’ protests hit Canada soccer recently. The team is preparing for the upcoming SheBelieves Cup. They are fighting for pay equity and have urged to change the leadership if current leaders are unable to meet their demands. Canada Women’s Soccer team has got support from USWNT star Megan Rapinoe in their fight.  

Canada women’s national team is unhappy with the training camp days cut down along with fewer players and coaches. It is an important year for the team. They bid to challenge for SheBelieves Cup this month and FIFA Women’s World Cup in July this year. The team is unhappy with the timings Canada Soccer announced the curbs and has threatened to withdraw from this month’s SheBelieves Cup.

Megan Rapinoe supports Canada’s women’s national team

USWNT star forward Megan Rapinoe, known for her progressive views, has come forward to support the Canadian players in their fight against Canada Soccer. Rapinoe wrote on her Instagram story, “Bitter enemies on the field, deeper allyship of it. These are the Olympic Champs Canada Soccer, why are you doing??!! To all the players, you have our support here on the USWNT. Let us know how we can be supportive.”

Rapinoe and other members of the USWNT team fought a lengthy legal battle with US Soccer for pay equity. They won the fight with the US Soccer accepting the demands of the women’s team. NWSL Challenge Cup this season will be the first tournament with women getting pay equity. 

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It will be interesting to see how things pan out for Canada’s women’s team. They have urged Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge to intervene. The team is currently in Orlando preparing for SheBelieves Cup. They have threatened to not train and participate in the tournament. Canadian Soccer has called for an immediate meeting on Saturday morning to discuss the issues and pay equity with the women’s team.

Canada women’s team to go on strike

Canada women’s team has released a lengthy statement over the lack of support from the governing body. They have been patiently fighting over the issue with Canada Soccer for over a year and are unhappy with the level of support they are receiving to prepare for the World Cup this year. 

The number of training camp days is down significantly. Also, Canada Soccer has cut the number of players participating in the camp, with the number of the coaching staff. The governing body has also limited the youth team activities, and the players of the women’s national team are frustrated with this. 

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They have called for immediate changes to the situation. Otherwise, they will be taking significant job action as per their statement. Canada soccer fans have set their eyes on a meeting between players and the federation on Saturday. Will the parties reach a solution? Will Canada participate in the SheBelieves Cup? We will know the answers soon.