A men’s soccer match Sunday between Canada and Panama was canceled two hours before it was set to begin after Canada’s players refused to take the field because of a dispute over contract negotiations.
Canada has qualified for the World Cup for only the second time, but its players say the country’s soccer association, Canada Soccer, dragged its feet on contract negotiations and did not present an offer until Thursday.
In a letter, Canada’s players called that contract offer “archaic.” They are asking for an “equitable structure with our women’s national team that shares the same player match fees, percentage of prize money earned at our respective FIFA World Cups and the development of a women’s domestic league,” as well as 40 percent of the team’s World Cup prize money.