Canada women's national team donned purple t-shirts with the phrase "enough is enough" in protest of Canada Soccer Association (CSA) before their 2-0 loss to the USA at the SheBelieves Cup.
Thursday night’s protest marked the latest instalment in the national team’s ongoing dispute with their governing body amid concerns over funding cuts and equal pay that have embroiled the squad over the last month.
Earlier in the week, the women’s team announced over social media their plan for strike action that would see them boycott their clash with the reigning world champions. However, due to fears of severe financial and personal repercussions amid legal threats from the CSA, the team U-turned on their decision but said they would play in the match "in protest".
Canada captain Christine Sinclair said her team were "mentally exhausted".
She added: "Either we're fighting for everything and come out on fire or we come out flat. And I think you saw those first 10, 15 minutes, we came out flat.
"I think we looked like a team that was tired, coming up against a team... I mean, they're defending World Cup champions for a reason and you have to be at your best to compete with them. And we weren't tonight."
Before the match, the Canadian Soccer Players Association said the team would "continue to wear purple until our association has standards in place that ensure equal treatment and opportunity".
The team have also threatened to boycott a team camp in April if their demands are not met.
Canada, who are sixth in the world rankings and won Olympic gold in 2021, were joined by the USA in a huddle before kick-off. Both teams wore purple tape on their wrists during the game.
In May this year, the USWNT claimed a tremendous victory as their six-year campaign and eventual lawsuit culminated in a landmark decision that guaranteed equal pay for footballers representing the country’s national team, as well as an unprecedented provision stipulating that unequal prize money payments received by U.S. Soccer would be pooled together and split evenly between the squads.
The fight for equal pay and treatment across senior national teams has gripped a number of national football associations over the course of the year.
The CSA says it has a "proven track record" of supporting women's football, adding pay equality was "at the core" of negotiations with the national team players.
Thursday night’s SheBelieves opener was claimed by Mallory Swanson’s first-half brace for the USA in front of 14,697 spectators at Orlando’s Exploria Stadium.
And Canada head coach Bev Priestman admitted afterwards he noticed a “flatness” to his side that they needed to "push through" with a difficult tournament ahead, followed by the summer’s World Cup.
Canada are set to face Brazil on Sunday and Japan next Wednesday.
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