VANCOUVER – A training session scheduled for the Canadian men’s soccer team was canceled on Friday amid ongoing discussions over player compensation.
And a session scheduled for Saturday didn’t take place until 7:30 p.m.
The team is in Vancouver ahead of Sunday’s friendly against Panama. Canada is also scheduled to host Curaçao in the CONCACAF League of Nations on June 9.
Canada Soccer’s advanced teams set up equipment at the Vancouver Whitecaps training facility on Friday afternoon, but repacked it and left the field empty minutes before the session began.
A spokesman for Canada Soccer said on Saturday that discussions on player compensation are ongoing.
Toronto FC midfielder Jonathan Osorio has spoken to The Canadian Press about the negotiations on the eve of the international break.
“I think the players what we ask for is fair,” he said. “We don’t want to be treated more special than similar teams we compare ourselves to. We just want them to respect us and not take advantage of us and give us our fair share.”
Osorio, 29, has played 55 games for Canada with seven goals and seven assists, but is currently out of action due to a lower body injury.
The Toronto native said the national team players have seen an improvement in their flights and accommodation since head coach John Herdman took over the team in January 2018.
“It’s very different from what it was before,” Osorio said. “Having said that, there are a lot of things that need to happen from the federation. I think the players need to see more support from the federation now and not just rely on John to get things done. I think these things will come with results.”
Athletes and Canada Soccer are also discussing whether the partnership will help players bring their loved ones to Qatar.
Osorio believes they will get help, but said the details have not been agreed.
“I don’t think they can take care of everyone’s extended family,” he said. “I think the closest relatives of all will be taken care of. And then, if the players want to take care of other people, I think the federation will help too, I don’t know how much.”
Canada Soccer President Nick Bontis and his interim general secretary were due to land in Vancouver on Saturday afternoon. A spokesman for the association said his trip was scheduled before Friday’s training was canceled.
Herdman has said that every minute his group spends together is “crucial” as he prepares to compete on the world’s biggest stage in November.
“There is not a minute that can be missed at this time,” he said in a statement when the team’s list was announced last month.
Sunday’s game is the first of three for the Canadians ranked 38th in the current international window.
Panama’s number 61 was not initially on Canada’s schedule for this window. Canada, on the other hand, was due to face Iran in a friendly on June 5, but the confrontation drew heated criticism, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying “it was not a good idea”.
An Iranian surface-to-air missile shot down Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 on January 8, 2020, shortly after taking off from Tehran, killing 176 people, including 55 Canadians and 30 permanent residents.
Canada Soccer canceled the match on May 26 and Panama was named as a substitute opponent on May 31.
After hosting the 79th Curaçao at BC Place, Canada is scheduled to travel to San Pedro Sula to face the 82nd Honduras on June 13th.