Deal on equal pay ‘done’, Canada captain Christine Sinclair says ahead of World Cup
Christine Sinclair said that a deal on equal pay between the Canada men’s and women’s national teams was “done” just as the World Cup kicks off.
Canada captain Sinclair said her team’s pay equity battle with Canada Soccer was all but resolved and praised Janine Beckie, who is sidelined with a torn ACL, for handling negotiations so the players could focus on the tournament.
The Women’s World Cup is getting $150 million in prize money from FIFA, a threefold increase over 2019, but well shy of the $440 million the men received last year in Qatar.
Canada captain Sinclair said her team’s pay equity battle with Canada Soccer was all but resolved and praised Janine Beckie, who is sidelined with a torn ACL, for handling negotiations so the players could focus on the tournament.
The Women’s World Cup is getting $150 million in prize money from FIFA, a threefold increase over 2019, but well shy of the $440 million the men received last year in Qatar.
Transcript
00:00 [INAUDIBLE]
00:10 --that tomorrow the mixed zone will take place right
00:13 after final whistle.
00:14 So if you plan on being in the mixed zone, please--
00:17 [AUDIO OUT]
00:19 Yeah, I mean, it's done.
00:24 And yeah, we're just not focused on it anymore.
00:28 It's about to get done.
00:31 So honestly, we haven't thought about it
00:33 for one second these past couple of weeks,
00:36 and just focusing on playing.
00:38 [AUDIO OUT]
00:42 You know, the world of women's football is very small.
00:45 And we all support each other.
00:50 I feel like each women's team has to face their battles.
00:54 And it's one at a time.
00:56 And obviously, this past year, we've
00:58 been facing ours in Nigeria now with their federation.
01:02 So yeah, we fully support them.
01:04 I mean, every single player in this tournament
01:07 deserves the world and deserves the equal treatment
01:13 from their federations.
01:14 [AUDIO OUT]
01:17 Yeah, I mean, look, the women's game
01:20 has got a long way to go to catch up to the men's game.
01:24 You know, it's new comparative to the men's game.
01:29 That being said, although our prize money
01:34 continues to increase, we're nowhere near where
01:38 it should be.
01:40 Look, I'm fighting for equality.
01:43 It needs to be the exact same as the men's tournament.
01:45 And hopefully, at the next tournament,
01:49 that will be the case.
01:50 As players, we expect that to be the case.
01:54 But it's kind of out of our hands.
01:55 [AUDIO OUT]
02:01 Honestly, it's like the same as my first World Cup.
02:05 Walking in, I mean, just got to check out the pitch.
02:08 And yeah, I still get those nerves, those butterflies,
02:11 that excitement as I did back in--
02:15 was it 2003 in my first one?
02:17 So this is why you play.
02:20 This is why you spend all those hours and days
02:24 training when no one else is.
02:26 It's for moments like tomorrow, moments like today.
02:30 Just knowing that you're ready, ready to go,
02:33 and can't wait to represent Canada.
02:36 [BLANK_AUDIO]