The Canadian soccer team refused to participate in training on Friday in Vancouver for the friendly match against Panama. A dispute with Canada Soccer over the financial compensation paid to the players will be discussed, TSN reported on Saturday.
Maple Leaf physical trainers set up equipment at the Vancouver Whitecaps training facility, but then picked it all up and left the field minutes before the scheduled training time.
A spokesman for Canada Soccer said on Saturday that discussions were taking place about the salaries of national team players.
Canada Soccer President Nick Bontis and Acting General Secretary are scheduled to arrive in Vancouver on Saturday. The spokesperson mentioned that their visit to British Columbia was already on schedule before the training was canceled.
Coach John Herdman’s team will host Panama on Sunday at BC Place, before doing the same next Thursday with Curaçao in a CONCACAF Nations League match.
At first, Canada should not face Panama, but Iran. That meeting, however, was canceled after intense criticism from politicians, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and the bereaved families of the 752 Iranian flights that crashed in 2020.
Source: Radio-Canada
