Latest news with #MLSPlayersAssociation
CNA
3 days ago
- Business
- CNA
Seattle players call for 'fair share' of Club World Cup prize money
Seattle Sounders players called for a bigger slice of the prize money for competing at the Club World Cup this month by wearing T-shirts emblazoned with "Cash Grab" and "Fair Share Now" ahead of a Major League Soccer match on Sunday. Seattle are set to earn at least $9.55 million for competing at the June 14 to July 13 tournament in the U.S., where the total prize money runs to $1 billion, but under the MLS collective bargaining agreement (CBA) the players' share is capped at $1 million per club. Seattle are one of three MLS teams that will compete in the expanded 32-team Club World Cup. Teams from North America are guaranteed almost $10 million just for participating and can earn more depending on their results. MLS did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment after Seattle players warmed up in T-shirts with the phrases "Club World Cup Ca$h Grab" and "Fair Share Now" written on them ahead of their 2-3 home defeat by Minnesota United. The MLS Players Association said in a statement on Sunday that players had "privately and respectfully invited the league to discuss bonus terms, yet MLS has failed to bring forward a reasonable proposal". It added that the league was "clinging to an out-of-date CBA provision and ignoring longstanding international standards on what players typically receive from FIFA prize money in global competitions. "It is the players who make the game possible. It is the players who are lifting MLS up on the global stage. They expect to be treated fairly and with respect." Seattle are in Group B at the Club World Cup along with Brazil's Botafogo, UEFA Champions League winners Paris St Germain and LaLiga's Atletico Madrid. They face Botafogo in their opening game on June 15.
Reuters
3 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Seattle players call for 'fair share' of Club World Cup prize money
June 2 (Reuters) - Seattle Sounders players called for a bigger slice of the prize money for competing at the Club World Cup this month by wearing T-shirts emblazoned with "Cash Grab" and "Fair Share Now" ahead of a Major League Soccer match on Sunday. Seattle are set to earn at least $9.55 million for competing at the June 14 to July 13 tournament in the U.S., where the total prize money runs to $1 billion, but under the MLS collective bargaining agreement (CBA) the players' share is capped at $1 million per club. Seattle are one of three MLS teams that will compete in the expanded 32-team Club World Cup. Teams from North America are guaranteed almost $10 million just for participating and can earn more depending on their results. MLS did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment after Seattle players warmed up in T-shirts with the phrases "Club World Cup Ca$h Grab" and "Fair Share Now" written on them ahead of their 2-3 home defeat by Minnesota United. The MLS Players Association said in a statement on Sunday that players had "privately and respectfully invited the league to discuss bonus terms, yet MLS has failed to bring forward a reasonable proposal". It added that the league was "clinging to an out-of-date CBA provision and ignoring longstanding international standards on what players typically receive from FIFA prize money in global competitions. "It is the players who make the game possible. It is the players who are lifting MLS up on the global stage. They expect to be treated fairly and with respect." Seattle are in Group B at the Club World Cup along with Brazil's Botafogo, UEFA Champions League winners Paris St Germain and LaLiga's Atletico Madrid. They face Botafogo in their opening game on June 15.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Seattle Sounders protest Club World Cup bonus structure with MLSPA support
The Sounders players posed with their protest shirts before kickoff v Minnesota United on Sunday. The Sounders players posed with their protest shirts before kickoff v Minnesota United on Sunday. Photograph: Nick Wagner/AP The Seattle Sounders wore shirts in the warm-up for the team's game against Minnesota United on Sunday reading 'Club World Ca$h Grab,' in protest over the manner in which bonuses from participating in the Club World Cup are being distributed. Afterwards, the MLS Players Association released a statement expressing solidarity with the Sounders players who, according to the statement 'demanded a fair share of Fifa Club World Cup prize money.' Advertisement 'Fifa's new tournament piles on to players' ever-increasing workload without regard to their physical well-being,' the statement reads, before pointing out that Fifa will pay MLS teams large amounts (about $9.5m) to participate in the tournament. 'Despite this windfall, the league has refused to allocate a fair percentage of those funds to the players themselves.' Related: LAFC stun Club América in extra time to qualify for Club World Cup In addition to the $9.5m for participating in the tournament, clubs earn more based on performance in the games, drawing from a Fifa prize pool of around $475m. However, the current collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players stipulates that players can only earn 50% of bonuses from outside tournament, capped at $1m for the entire team. In effect, that makes for an initial 90/10 split of prize money, with the ratio potentially getting worse if MLS teams advance in the competition. Advertisement The MLSPA said in its statement that the players have sought to meet with MLS to make changes to the arrangement, but that the league has 'failed to bring forward a reasonable proposal.' Fifa itself does not have any rules governing how teams distribute prize money between front office, players, and associated parties. The Club World Cup will feature three MLS teams: Inter Miami, who were nominated to the field by Fifa president Gianni Infantino, the Sounders and now Los Angeles FC, who qualified via a one-game playoff.
