Canadian women threaten revolt

The players on the Canadian women’s soccer team are fed up with the treatment they’ve gotten from the Canadian Soccer Association and won’t play another game until Italian Carolina Morace is retained as national team coach and they are paid like the men’s national team players.

“We have a shot at something great,” said star Christine Sinclair. “And we have the coach to allow us to do that. It’s hard as players to see our organization not really support us, not really support our coach.It’s a difficult position to be in.”

Canada is 19-8-5 under Morace, who plans on quitting after the 2011 Women’s World Cup, and won the 2010 Concacaf women’s championship. The team isheaded to Rome for training on Friday but won’t play in the Cyprus Cup, beginning Feb. 28, until the coaching issue is resolved.

“This was not a decision taken lightly, knowing that thisis probably our best chance at a World Cup medal,” Sinclair said. “And knowing that we are potentially giving up camps and games. But there’s a bigger picture here. I’ve been playing on the nationalteam for 10 years and nothing’s changed. In fact things have probably gone backwards in terms of the CSA’s dealing with the women’s team.”