Fight for equality: Women's soccer teams to follow Canada's example and wear purple wristbands
'In a show of collective solidarity and desire for positive change,' says footballers' union
The purple wristbands the Canadian women's soccer team wore during the SheBelieves Cup to symbolize its fight for equality will be on show worldwide during the FIFA April international window.
FIFPro, the union representing professional footballers, says women's national team players will wear the purple wristbands "in a show of collective solidarity and desire for positive change."
The union notes the Canadian women started the trend, symbolizing equality, to publicize their labour dispute with Canada Soccer. Ahead of the SheBelieves Cup games in February in the U.S., the Canadians also wore purple T-shirts with the words "Enough is Enough" etched on them.
The other teams at the tournament also wore the purple wristbands, as did Canada coach Bev Priestman.
"Too often, women's football players are having to sacrifice or risk parts of their careers to effect necessary change — even though this change centres on basic and fundamental rights such as fair treatment, respect, and equality," FIFPro said in a statement Thursday.
The union did say progress "at the highest level" has been made recently with FIFA saying it is aiming for full equality for the 2027 Women's World Cup.
"With this commitment ready to be enshrined, FIFPro and member unions will continue to push for and support progress towards equitable conditions at national level for players around the world," FIFPro said.
WATCH | Canadian women's soccer players sound off on pay inequity:
'I've never been more insulted'
In March, Canadian players told a parliamentary committee in Ottawa that the Canadian women's team has essentially been treated as an afterthought compared to the men's side.
The players, who have made a combined 732 appearances for Canada at the senior level, included testimony by captain Christine Sinclair and teammates Janine Beckie, Sophie Schmidt and Quinn, who goes by one name,
Sinclair told the committee she brought the team's concerns to former Canada Soccer president Nick Bontis last year but was largely ignored.
"On a personal note, I've never been more insulted than I was by Canada Soccer's own president, Nick Bontis, last year as we met with him to discuss our concerns," Sinclair said March 9. "I was tasked with outlining our compensation ask on behalf of the women's national team. The president of Canada Soccer listened to what I had to say and then later in the meeting referred back to it as 'What was it Christine was bitching about?'
"To me this spoke volumes about the lack of respect Canada Soccer has for its women's national team."
Eleven days later, Bontis told the parliamentary committee he had reached out to apologize to Sinclair, who testified she was offended by his language during the labour talks.
Bontis said while he did not recall using that language, "I don't dispute it and my exact choice of words is not the point. What matters is she felt that I treated her concerns disrespectfully. I feel terrible about making her feel this way," he added
Preparing for friendlies
The sixth-ranked Canadian women are currently in France, preparing for an April 11 friendly against No. 5 France in Le Mans.
Marie-Yasmine Alidou has replaced the injured Quinn. Canada Soccer said Quinn, a midfielder who goes by one name, was dealing with a previous injury and did not come to camp.
Alidou, a 27-year-old midfielder from Saint-Hubert, Que., plays for Famalicao in Portugal. She has one senior cap, from a 1-0 loss to Spain in February 2022.
The game against France is the lone fixture for the Canadians in the April international window. Priestman is preparing her Olympic champion squad for the World Cup, which kicks off July 20 in Australia and New Zealand.
