CanWNT wears purple as symbol of protest before U.S. game: 'Enough is enough'

Players for Canada's women's soccer team wore purple shirts before their opening match of the SheBelieves Cup against the United States on Thursday as a symbol of protest against Canada Soccer, which they accused last week of failing to offer equal pay and adequate funding to their program.

"Enough is enough," the shirts read.

The United States women's national team showed solidarity with Canada's players by wearing purple wristbands and forming a circle with their peers prior to kickoff.

"Purple has historically been associated with efforts to achieve gender equality," the Canadian Soccer Players' Association said in a statement before the match. "Considering the current circumstances, our players will continue to wear purple until our association has standards in place that ensure equal treatment and opportunity."

The Canadian players, who arrived at Exploria Stadium in Orlando with tape covering the Canada Soccer crest on their backpacks, kept the purple shirts on through the national anthems before linking up with their American counterparts inside the center circle on the field. The U.S. players, who achieved equitable pay with their men's team last year, have been vocal supporters of Canada's job action.

The United States went on to win the match 2-0, with Mallory Swanson scoring both goals in the first half.

Earlier this week, Canadian captain Christine Sinclair said the ongoing labor dispute with the federation had left the team "exhausted and deflated" ahead of Thursday's match against the top-ranked side in the world, per The Canadian Press.

The players threatened to go on strike on Feb. 10 after Canada Soccer told them it didn't have the funds to provide the training and matches the players feel they need to prepare for the Women's World Cup in July. The players said the federation had cut their training schedule, limited the number of people they could invite to training camps, and ruled out the possibility of hosting any games prior to the World Cup.

The women also said they received no compensation for their work for Canada Soccer in 2022.

Canada Soccer said it was negotiating with the players in good faith and intended to ratify a collecting bargaining agreement that would "deliver real change and pay equity."

Both the men's and women's teams want Canada Soccer, which also receives funding from the federal government, to open its books and show them where the money is going. The Canada Men's National Soccer Team Players' Association said in a statement that Canada Soccer has "consistently refused or blatantly ignored" requests to access its financial records.

Canada's next match at the SheBelieves Cup is Sunday against Brazil. The players, as outlined in their statement prior to Thursday's game, are planning to again wear purple as a symbol of protest.