(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It added that the league was “clinging to an out-of-date CBA provision and ignoring longstanding international standards on what players typically receive from FIFA prize money in global competitions.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.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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