While Canada Soccer says a new labour agreement with its players is contingent on a reworked deal with Canadian Soccer Business, CSB says it 鈥減roactively made a new, landmark offer鈥� six weeks ago.
Kevin Blue, Canada Soccer鈥檚 CEO and general secretary, said Monday that the association has reached a 鈥渇ramework鈥� for a long-awaited labour agreement with its men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 national teams. But he emphasized that sealing the deal is contingent on a reworked agreement with Canadian Soccer Business.
CSB, whose investor group and board includes the Canadian Premier League owners, looks after marketing and broadcast rights for both Canada Soccer and the CPL, now in its sixth season.
The players have complained the CSB agreement is holding the game back and preventing national teams from getting the preparation they need.
Canada Soccer is believed to receive some $4 million a year under the current CSB deal as 鈥渢he beneficiary of a rights fee guarantee.鈥� That amount has been boosted by some $500,000 each year leading up to the 2026 World Cup.
In a short statement Tuesday, CSB said it was 鈥減leased鈥� that progress had been made between Canada Soccer and its players. And it said its offer was 鈥渇or the benefit of all stakeholders.鈥�
鈥淪ince then, we have been actively engaged in the process of bettering our partnership, and we are encouraged by the discussions with Canada Soccer鈥檚 leadership,鈥� it added.
鈥淚t is time for all stakeholders to come together to ensure the next couple of years are the most successful and cohesive in Canadian soccer history, as we build toward hosting the 2026 World Cup on home soil.鈥�
CSB did not provide details of its offer. Canada Soccer did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the CSB proposal.
Blue, who joined Canada Soccer in late February, put the onus squarely on CSB in his statement Monday.
鈥淎 critical step to finalizing a CBA is a revision to the Canadian Soccer Business deal that will be more favourable to Canada Soccer and will put it on a firm financial footing going forward,鈥� Blue said. 鈥淭he new CBA framework is contingent on such a revision to the CSB deal.
鈥淐anada Soccer鈥檚 leadership and CSB are in active discussions on a restructured deal, and we are hopeful we will arrive at a positive conclusion soon.鈥�
Blue said the players have been 鈥渢rue partners throughout the negotiations.鈥�
鈥淭hey have made meaningful concessions to help put Canada Soccer in a better position to fund other important priorities more effectively,鈥� he said.
The Canadian Soccer Players Association, which represents the women鈥檚 team, confirmed that progress had been made on the labour front.
鈥淲hile we don鈥檛 yet have a collective bargaining agreement, the players have worked hard with Kevin to align on a framework that we view as fair and equitable, and that brings us closer than ever to a long-term deal,鈥� the association sad in a statement Monday.
And the women credited Blue for his 鈥渃ourtesy, transparency and candour.鈥�
鈥淗e has earned our trust and our respect. We share the same vision for what this federation can be, and look forward to working collaboratively with him for years to come to build up the sport we love in the country we are so proud to play for.鈥�
The women鈥檚 previous labour deal expired at the end of 2021. While they had previously reached an interim labour agreement with Canada Soccer, that deal was tied to the men鈥檚 negotiations given the pay equity provisions of the deal.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women formed their players鈥� association in 2016.
Their association has filed a $40-million lawsuit against 15 current and former board members of Canada Soccer, alleging 鈥渘egligence and breach of fiduciary duty鈥� over the CSB contract.
The 40th-ranked men are negotiating their first formal agreement in the wake of forming their own players association, the Canada Men鈥檚 National Soccer Team Players Association, in the summer of 2022.
The lengthy, acrimonious labour dispute has seen job action in the past and 鈥� in addition to the women鈥檚 lawsuit 鈥� prompted the resignation of former Canada Soccer president Nick Bontis and job action by both teams.
The Canadian men boycotted a World Cup warm-up against Panama in Vancouver in June 2022 while the women briefly refused to train at the SheBelieves Cup in early 2023 before reluctantly returning to the field after Canada Soccer threatened legal action.
