'We won the damn Olympic Games': Canada's women's national team will play the SheBelieves Cup 'under protest' players say on a call... as they seek equal preparation and resources the men's team received for Qatar with the women's World Cup months away
- Canadian players said equal pay is just a small part of the resources they need
- The team that just won the Olympic gold in Tokyo is expected to challenge for a World Cup title when the 2023 tournament kicks off in Australia & New Zealand
- Click here for all your latest international Sports news from DailyMail.com
Players have not received any pay, let alone equal pay. Training staff have needed to jump in so they can do 11-on-11 practices. The youth national teams are getting only one camp this year. Canadian parliament is considering an inquiry that might bring players up to Ottawa for hearings.
Changes to these circumstances are what the Canadian women's national team are fighting for down in Orlando - with two days until they take on the reigning World Cup champion United States in the SheBelieves Cup.
On a media conference call two days after ending their strike, members of a visibly exhausted and angry Canada team discussed the team's current situation and what little progress has been made between them and Canada Soccer (CSA).
Captain Christine Sinclair, forward Janine Beckie and midfielders Sophie Schmidt and Quinn took questions from reporters - shedding light on what they're looking for and how they'll ensure they get it.
Comments were limited, with CSA lawyers on the call monitoring statements, and players could not divulge information from meetings the team had with Canada Soccer officials in the previous days - including threats to sue individual players.
![The Canadian women's national team held a conference call amid their fight with the CSA](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/02/14/23/67688201-11750595-The_Canadian_women_s_national_team_held_a_conference_call_amid_t-a-7_1676416445366.jpg)
The Canadian women's national team held a conference call amid their fight with the CSA
The call began with an emotional opening statement from Schmidt, the 34-year-old midfielder for the Houston Dash, who revealed that the circumstances led her to consider immediately retiring from international soccer and flying home.
Before she departed, Schmidt confided that Canada coach Bev Priestman 'asked me to sleep on it.'
'After a long chat with [Sinclair] trying to debrief what has just transpired, she talked me off the ledge - so to say for lack of a better word,' Schmidt said.
'She made me promise that I will see this final fight through. That we need to leave this place a better environment moving forward and ensure a sustainable pathway that gives girls an opportunity to be successful and to chase after their dreams.'
Schmidt ended her statement saying that she intends to retire at the end of the World Cup in August.
Players then took questions and while there were a number of things they couldn't comment on - such as potential parliamentary intervention, the deal the CSA has with Canada Soccer Business, or their lack of pay - they did shed light on their morale and mindset.
![Sophie Schmidt (R) says the ordeal led her to announce her international retirement in August](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/02/14/21/67688345-11750595-image-a-37_1676411870813.jpg)
Sophie Schmidt (R) says the ordeal led her to announce her international retirement in August
In the bargaining agreement that both the men's and women's teams are trying to sign, the women's national team hopes they can get to the point where they receive similar resources as the men - not just equal pay.
'It's important for the public to know that the compensation part is actually only like a small part of the changes that need to happen,' Sinclair said.
Three changes the group highlighted were staff allocation, funding the team to bring the right amount of players, and being able to use available chances to warm up for the World Cup.
Both Sinclair and Beckie visited the Canadian men's team in Doha and said they were 'blown away by just the sheer number of staff that the men's team had' and believe it would be equitable if they were given a similar support for their upcoming World Cup.
'Every time we come into camp, there's, you know, close to half, probably just about half as many, as many as they had,' Beckie said, frustrated.
'And I understand that World Cups and major tournaments require extra staff. But if that's the case of the men's team, then we expect to be given every staff that [we] request to have at our World Cup in a few months.'
![Captain Christine Sinclair says she was 'blown away' by the resources the men's team got](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/02/14/23/67688241-11750595-Captain_Christine_Sinclair_says_she_was_blown_away_by_the_resour-a-6_1676416445365.jpg)
Captain Christine Sinclair says she was 'blown away' by the resources the men's team got
They also said they wished to be able to bring 'the correct number of players... into every camp for preparation.'
'We should never have an instance where we have to have staff stepping into our, you know, 11-v-11 to make up numbers, Beckie said.
'That should just never be the case, and has been the case, since I've been on the team, which is quite some time now.'
Finally, they said they wanted to use every opportunity they could to play matches against top competition.
According to the player's union, Canada Soccer told the team they would not get a morale-boosting send-off match for the 2023 World Cup as part of the cuts.
![Sinclair says the team wasn't aware of 'what our federation was capable of' for support](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/02/14/22/67688257-11750595-image-a-43_1676412026674.jpg)
Sinclair says the team wasn't aware of 'what our federation was capable of' for support
'You can see how teams that use every window and play against good opposition are preparing correctly for major tournaments,' Beckie said.
The message they left the call with was they wanted equal treatment. As the reigning Olympic gold medalists, they've helped grow the sport to the height of its popularity in the country.
'How is it that during a time were both the men's and the women's program are at their peak success historically, and interest in soccer has not been greater? How are we having budget cuts?,' Schmidt angrily asked in her opening statement.
Sinclair, Canada's leading goal scorer and all-time caps leader, shared that this isn't a new issue.
'For the longest time, as a women's team, we've been fighting, like, blindly not knowing what our federation was capable of, in a way in terms of support,' Sinclair revealed.
'And then all of us were witness to the support our men's team received from our association as they prepared for their World Cup last year.'
![Janine Beckie expects to 'be prepared in the best way possible to go and win a World Cup'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/02/14/22/67688179-11750595-image-m-44_1676412033240.jpg)
Janine Beckie expects to 'be prepared in the best way possible to go and win a World Cup'
Outside of Schmidt's opening statement, Beckie delivered some of the most poignant remarks of the call during this portion - describing their struggle to get equal treatment.
'It's a fight that women all over the world have to partake in every single day. But quite frankly, we're really sick of it,' she said.
'And it's something that now I don't even get disappointed by anymore. I just get angry about because it's time. It's 2023.
'We won the damn Olympic Games. And we're about to go to the World Cup with the team who who could win. So, you know, we expect to be prepared in the best way possible to go and win a World Cup.'
Quinn chimed in as well, saying they hoped this stance they and their fellow teammates are undertaking will pave the way forward for young players looking to break into the national team.
'We are 100 percent committed to not leaving this environment until we have made it an equitable space where younger generations can achieve the peak of success - They have all the resources that they will need to achieve that,' Quinn said.
![Quinn says the team is 'committed' to making the team 'an equitable space' for young players](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/02/14/23/67688333-11750595-Quinn_says_the_team_is_committed_to_making_the_team_an_equitable-a-9_1676416445516.jpg)
Quinn says the team is 'committed' to making the team 'an equitable space' for young players
And they're not the only ones. According to the players, Canada's men's team is not only supporting them, they're on board with the women's team getting equal pay.
'They've all been really great in providing us, you know, any information that we want and vice versa,' Beckie said.
'To have, you know, a group of men that have brought so much recent success to the CSA, and kind of have them join our success over the last 12 years makes everyone really excited.
'But at the same time, there's definitely a very, very similar level of disappointment, anger, and frustration that goes through the men's team, just as it is with ours.'
Players - like Celtic defender Alistair Johnston - have tweeted out a statement from their own players association in solidarity.
The men's team statement called for an intervention from Canada's Ministry of Sport to remove Canada Soccer's current leadership if they aren't willing to take immediate action.
![Canadian men's players like Alistair Johnston have publicly supported the women's team](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/02/14/23/67688327-11750595-Canadian_men_s_players_like_Alistair_Johnston_have_publicly_supp-a-8_1676416445366.jpg)
Canadian men's players like Alistair Johnston have publicly supported the women's team
For now, the four players are focused on playing against their arch-rivals the United States - as well as Brazil and Japan in the two week tournament. The team says they'll be playing these games in protest.
Answering a question asked by DailyMail.com, the players said they all received support from their opponents at the tournament.
'Yeah, I mean, obviously, the world of women's soccer is pretty small,' Sinclair joked.
'We're all teammates, with players from all the teams that we're playing against in this FIFA window. Obviously, Janine and I are teammates with [USWNT captain] Becky [Sauerbrunn] and we've been in contact with her.
'But I mean, a bunch of players have reached out to offer their support. I mean, [the USWNT] were pioneers in this. And, you know, it's because of them that, you know, a lot of other national teams have a leg to stand on. So, yeah, they've offered their support. They're fully behind everything that we're fighting for.'
'They've been fantastic,' Beckie added. 'I know multiple players have reached out to multiple on our team to share their their words of support and ask if there's any way they can, they can be of help. So they've been fantastic.'
![Canada players have said their problems must be fixed before playing in the next FIFA window](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/02/14/21/67688173-11750595-image-a-34_1676411854230.jpg)
Canada players have said their problems must be fixed before playing in the next FIFA window
As for the future, the team says time is on their side - not Canada Soccer's - as a FIFA international window approaches.
'We have said that if things are - not just addressed - if things aren't fixed, we will not be going to that camp,' Sinclair stated.
If questions of players being 'scabs' - crossing the picket line if the strike resumes and holds - pop up, the players believe they will remain united.
'These aren't decisions that the four of us have made,' Beckie stated. 'These are decisions that our entire team, players on the ground here in Florida, and players like Desiree Scott, back at home, nursing an injury - are all part of.
'30+ players are making this decision behind the scenes. And I think it's really important to note that we're all in agreeance, on how we move forward.'
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