Canada Soccer president Nick Bontis stepped down from his position on Monday amid frustration among women players in the football association over pay equity with their male colleagues.
Bontis, 53, acknowledged in a statement that “change is required” in order to achieve an agreement with the Canadian men’s and women’s team. He had been president of Canada Soccer since November 2020 and a member of the organization’s board since 2012.
“Canada Soccer and both of our national team programs have the real potential to sign a historic collective bargaining agreement,” Bontis said in a statement Monday.
“Once signed, it will be a landmark deal that will set our nation apart from virtually every other FIFA member association. While I have been one of the biggest proponents of equalizing the competitive performance environment for our women’s national team, I will unfortunately not be leading this organization when it happens. I acknowledge that this moment requires change.”
Inequality in funding
Bontis’ announcement came just hours after the 13 presidents of Canada’s provincial and territorial soccer federations, a group known collectively as “the President’s Forum”, sent a letter requesting his resignation.
According to Canadian broadcaster TSN, the document signed by the group’s chair Kevin Topolinski, said: “With the unanimous support of all members of the Presidents’ Forum, I am requesting your resignation as president of Canada Soccer effective immediately. The Presidents’ Forum, representing the member associations of Canada Soccer, is requesting your resignation due to non-confidence in your leadership of Canada Soccer.”
Canada Soccer has been embroiled in a dispute over its budget and player salaries for months. Players from the Canadian women’s national soccer team said they will boycott a team camp in April, should there demands over pay inequality not be met.
In a statement issued earlier in February the team demanded “immediate change” and called on Canada Soccer to treat the women’s program “equally and fairly” with its funding. In 2021, the CSA spent $11 million (€7.62 million) on the men’s side and $5.1 million (€3.53 million) on the women’s side.
‘Enough is enough’
The women’s team planned to go on strike ahead of the recent SheBelieves Cup, but Canada Soccer threatened with legal action should the players not take the field. The side then competed in the tournament under protest, wearing purple shirts with the phrase “enough is enough” before their matches.
The men’s players went on strike in the lead up to the World Cup and refused to play in a friendly against Panama, accusing CSA of “disrespect” over World Cup prize money and have said they “wholeheartedly support” the women’s side in calling for a change in CSA leadership. The team cited a lack of transparency around how Canada Soccer would distribute the $10 million bonus that Canada had earned for the men’s team qualifying for the World Cup.
The women’s team is currently ranked sixth in FIFA’s global list, won the 2020 Olympics gold medal and is a two-time CONCACAF champion. The players demand the same backing ahead of this summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand as the men did before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
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