Nick Bontis has announced his resignation as Canada Soccer president.
The move comes amid a tumultuous period for the federation, with its women’s national team threatening to strike during the recent SheBelieves Cup, only to call the action off after Canada Soccer threatened to sue the players.
Canada’s men’s team has voiced its support for the women’s team, with both sets of players demanding more transparency from the federation.
In a statement on Monday, Bontis said he was optimistic that Canada Soccer would eventually sign a collective bargaining agreement with its men’s and women’s national teams that would achieve equal pay, similar to the deal U.S. Soccer struck last year.
But with that deal elusive and players in open revolt, Bontis acknowledged the time had come for him to depart.
“While I have been one of the biggest proponents of equalizing the competitive performance environment for our women’s national team, I will unfortunately not be leading this organization when it happens,” Bontis said. “I acknowledge that this moment requires change.”
The Canada women’s team was driven to the point of a strike amid a myriad of issues, including recent budget cuts during a World Cup year, inequality compared to the men’s team and opaque business dealings by Canada Soccer.
The issue has seen the Canadian government take an interest, with a committee set to investigate and potential subpoenas on the table.
Under legal threats, Canada did play in the SheBelieves Cup this month, but the team has said that games in April will not happen without a satisfactory resolution.
“We’ll be playing these games in protest,” captain Christine Sinclair said ahead of the SheBelieves Cup. “But obviously next window, that won’t be the case.”
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