Canada men’s soccer training session scrapped amid compensation talks

Jun 4, 2022 | 2:39 PM

VANCOUVER — A planned training session for Canada’s men’s soccer team was scrapped Friday amid ongoing discussions about player compensation.

Advanced teams set up equipment at the Vancouver Whitecaps’ training facility Friday afternoon, but packed it back up and left the field empty minutes before the session was set to begin.

TSN is reporting that players refused to participate in training due to a contract dispute.

A spokesperson for Canada Soccer says discussions on player compensation are ongoing, and that the association’s president and interim secretary general are set to land in Vancouver on Saturday afternoon.

It’s unclear whether Saturday’s training session will go ahead, or whether players will take the field for a friendly match against Panama on Sunday.

Sunday’s game is the first of three for Canada in the current international window, and the team’s first on home soil since it qualified for the World Cup in March.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2022.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press

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