Canada women's soccer players wear 'Enough is Enough' shirts to protest federation in game against the USWNT
- Canada women's national team players wore "Enough is Enough" shirts to protest their federation.
- The team threatened to boycott the tournament over inadequate funding and unequal treatment.
Canada Women's National Team players sent a statement to their federation.
Loud and clear: "Enough is enough."
Ahead of their SheBelieves Cup matchup against the US Women's National Team in Orlando, Florida, Thursday night, the Canadian players wore purple shirts printed with "Enough is Enough" across the front, in protest of the Canada Soccer Association (CSA) for what they believe is inadequate funding and unfair treatment.
US Women's National Team players showed solidarity with their neighbors to the North with a pregame demonstration at midfield. Athletes from both teams lined up side-by-side around the center circle, then came together arm-in-arm to send a joint message to Canada's federation.
CSA slashed the senior women's team budget just months ahead of the 2023 World Cup. As a result, the reigning Olympic gold medalists have been forced to cut training sessions and support staff while facing "immense uncertainty about compensation."
While the men's senior team has also faced budget cuts, the timing of CSA's action — just after the men's World Cup but before the women's tournament — spoke to the organization's priorities. Additionally, the women's players have yet to earn payment for their work from last year.
"Enough was enough a long time ago," the players said in a statement released this week. "We, the Women's National Soccer Team players, are demanding immediate change. Canada Soccer must live up to its public commitment to gender equity and its obligation as the national governing body for soccer in Canada to advance the sport, not drag it down."
Canada players — who were at their "wit's end," per captain Christine Sinclair — even threatened to strike ahead of Thursday's contest. But CSA considered the work stoppage unlawful, and the players said federation officials "told us that if we did not return to work — and did not commit today to playing in Thursday's game against the United States — they would not only take legal action to force us back to the pitch but would consider taking steps to collect what could be millions of dollars in damages from our Players' Association and from each of the individual players currently in camp."
Even still, their fight remains ongoing. The players have vowed to continue playing in protest until the two sides reach an agreement.