CSA, women's team resolve pay dispute

THE CANADIAN PRESS

Canada's women's soccer team and the sport's national governing body have ended their pay dispute just in time for the World Cup.

The Canadian Soccer Association announced Friday it had reached an agreement with the team that puts an end to its impasse over compensation.

That's good news for the No. 6-ranked Canadians just two weeks before they kick off the women's World Cup in Germany.

"We are relieved that we could come to an agreement with the CSA so we can focus on the World Cup and all of our program objectives," midfielder Carmelina Moscato said in an email to The Canadian Press. "At this time, we are only looking forward and excited to perform to the best of our abilities on the world stage in the next couple weeks.

"This is an exciting time to be a female soccer player in Canada."

News of the deal, which runs through 2012, comes a day after the CSA announced it had reached an agreement with Carolina Morace, keeping the head coach with the team through the 2012 London Olympics.

"The Canadian Soccer Association is pleased that we have reached a resolution and we look forward to supporting the women's national team at the FIFA Women's World Cup, as well as the 2012 CONCACAF Women's Olympic qualification tournament in Vancouver and the London 2012 Olympic Games," CSA general secretary Peter Montopoli said in a statement.

The players retained lawyers and threatened to file a suit with the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre in February over what they believed was unfair compensation.

The women wanted a long-term deal that provided stability and to be able to see the deal the association has with the men's team.

Morace, meanwhile, announced in February that she was stepping down after the World Cup, citing differences with the CSA. That prompted the national team to threaten a boycott of international matches unless its Italian coach returned to the fold. They eventually backed off their boycott threat, but were still at an impasse over pay.

Under Morace, the women's team has risen to sixth and is considered a medal contender for both the upcoming World Cup and the 2012 London Olympics.

The coach said the possibility exists that she'll remain with the team through the 2015 World Cup, which Canada is hosting.

The women's team has been training in Rome for several weeks leading up to its opening game of the World Cup, June 26 versus Germany in Berlin.

Canada's record in 2011 is 9-1-2.

View the original article here

Posted in: dispute,resolve,womens