Canceled in the last minute match between Canada and Panama

The Canadian men’s soccer team refused to play a game against Panama on Sunday amid tense labor negotiations with the country’s soccer governing body.

Players seek proceeds from matches to be matched and share World Cup prize money with the Canadian Women’s Team.

The match was canceled two hours before kick-off at BC Place in Vancouver. The Canadian players refused to train on Friday and Saturday as they prepare for their first World Cup appearance since 1986.

The men’s team issued a statement Sunday amid heated negotiations with Canada Soccer, the governing body, less than a month after the unions of the American men’s and women’s teams reached a historic equal pay agreement with the United States. Football, the federation of that country.

“It is time for us to support the future of football in Canada,” the statement said.

Players said they wanted 40% of World Cup prize money, a travel package for friends and relatives, a “fair structure with our women’s national team sharing the same match fee, percentages of prize money in our FIFA World Cup Finals” and the development of a women’s league in the country “.

“We want to work with our organisation, but the relationship has been strained for years,” the players said in a statement. “Now, Football Canada has disrespected our team and jeopardized our efforts to raise the bar and promote sport in Canada.”

At a news conference on Sunday afternoon, Canada’s soccer chief Nick Pontes apologized to fans scheduled to attend Sunday’s game and called the players’ demands untenable.