Why MLS players are protesting the FIFA Club World Cup
Why MLS players are protesting the FIFA Club World Cup
On Saturday, MLS side Inter Miami will kick off the FIFA Club World Cup against Egypt's Al Ahly FC. Yet, many Inter Miami players will be doing so in protest.
And yes, it's about money — but for good reason.
When FIFA announced its plans for the expanded stateside Club World Cup, it looked to incentivize clubs, players and confederations with an enormous financial windfall. The prize money for the Club World Cup stands at an eye-opening $1 billion compared to the $16 million prize pool from 2023's version of the tournament.
The Club World Cup is going to feature three MLS teams (Inter Miami, Seattle Sounders and LAFC). And with clubs earning upwards of $2 million per group stage win and $40 million for the champion, the Club World Cup in theory should be a huge deal to MLS players.
It's not that simple.
Why MLS players are upset
While the participating MLS clubs are earning an additional $9.55 million, the current CBA prevents much of that from going to the players themselves.
The current CBA entitles players to 50% of the bonus pay from outside competitions, but it caps the total payout at $1 million. So, if an MLS team hypothetically ran the table in the tournament and won the whole thing, players would only be entitled to $1 million out of the max $87.625 million performance bonus. Mind you, that's $1 million split collectively among the whole squad. The rest would go to the team ownership.
What are players doing about it?
We've already seen some displays of protest from the players. The Seattle Sounders donned "Club World Cup Cash Grab" shirts during warmups on June 1.
If FIFA and MLS were going to interrupt the season for a manufactured (but lucrative) tournament, the players wanted to be compensated fairly for it. After all, MLS is set to pocket an additional $28.65 million from FIFA for the tournament.
According to ESPN, this has brought MLS back to the negotiating table after months of silence. But thus far, the results have been unsatisfactory for the players.
Via ESPN:
A source with knowledge of the discussions told ESPN that a revised proposal from MLS committed to grant players on the three participating teams 20% of the performance-related payments for wins, draws and round advancement.
Players collectively would receive $1 million for participation, in addition to any money earned for victories, draws or round qualification throughout the tournament. Separately, LAFC earned $250,000 collectively for the victory against Club America in a playoff on May 31 to secure a spot in the tournament.
The MLSPA rejected that offer and called it "retaliatory" given how long MLS had waited to engage with the union.
According to Sports Illustrated, MLSPA wanted 40% of performance-based earnings, but the league has yet to respond to that counteroffer.
We'll have to see whether the player protests carry into the tournament if the bonus situation goes unresolved. As of now, time is running out.
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