Canada Soccer Invited To Testify Before House of Commons
By On Thursday both Nick Bontis and Earl Cochrane were invited to testify at the House of Commons in regard to the ongoing issues with the women’s national team.
During a meeting on the study of Safe Sport in Canada, the committee adopted a motion that was put forth by NDP MP Peter Julian. Bontis is the President of Canada Soccer, while Cochrane is the General Secretary.
The motion was brought on after Liberal MP Anthony Housefather mentioned Monday that the parliamentary committee had already requested the minutes of the Canada Soccer board, and wanted to question the duo.
The motion also has the legal right to a summons if both Bontis and Cochrane decline the invite. The news hit Orlando as Canada lost to the US two-nil on Thursday night in their first game at the SheBelieves Cup.
Christine Sinclair was asked about it in her post-match scrum and she welcomes all the help they can get.
“I think there’s quite a few avenues,” Sinclair said. “Honestly as players, we just want it fixed – whether that’s with the help of government, whether that’s just the [Canada Soccer] Association stepping up and being honest with us. At this point, we’ll take anything.”
She also mentioned that the team was not going to give up and is fully motivated to see this to the end saying they ‘will continue to fight’.
The team boycotted practice last Saturday and said they wouldn’t play if their demands weren’t met but were forced back into action after Canada Soccer threatened legal action against every player.
The rational behind Canada Soccer’s threat of a lawsuit against the players was that the organization felt the players’ strike wasn’t lawful, but the team has stated that if demands are not met the next window in April they would legally be able to do it.
The women are asking for the same treatment as the men got last year in their lead-up to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with the Women’s World Cup only five months away. They are demanding transparency and would like Canada Soccer to show the financial records and open up their books.
See Also: Priestman Dealing With ‘Difficult Situation’ Amid SheBelieves Cup
The women’s team will now travel to Nashville to face Brazil on Sunday before heading to Frisco, Texas to face Japan on Wednesday to wrap up the tournament.
This SheBelieves Cup has the potential to be the last warmup the team has before the team heads to Australia for the World Cup in July, with two planned friendlies in BC having been nixed by Canada Soccer.
Header Image Photo Credit: Martin Bazyl / Canada Soccer