The lawsuit, which targets 15 current and former members of the Canadian Soccer Association, was filed in Ontario Superior Court in Toronto on Tuesday.
The players speak of “negligence and breach of fiduciary duty”.
It is about an agreement that the Canadian Football Association concluded in 2018 where marketing and sponsorship rights were handed over to media giant CBS in exchange for an annual fee.
In the lawsuit, the players claim that the agreement deprived them of revenue and in the long run threatens the association’s existence. The players believe that the members of the union should have realized the risky nature of the agreement.
“Currently seeking advice”
– We have become aware of legal proceedings brought by the players Our organization is currently seeking advice on this matter. The timing of the trial, on the eve of Canada’s opening match against El Salvador in the Concacaf tournament, does not appear to be coincidental, a spokesperson for the Canadian Soccer Association said, according to the AP.
Reigning Olympic champion Canada’s national team captain Brev Priestman regrets that news of the suit leaked just in time for the team to play a match.
– There have been no negotiations on the side. It’s all been about what’s going to happen on the pitch, says Priestman.
Both the men’s and women’s national teams are also discussing a new collective agreement with the federation. The ladies’ contract expired over two years ago.