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Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 8,417
World Cup
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OP
World Cup
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 8,417 |
Does anyone have any opinions on this subject? I received this e-mail yesterday and thought it was puzzling to say the least. U.S. National Soccer Players Website quote:
Dear Supporter of Soccer in the United States,
This is a time when the United States soccer community needs to stand together. We want to thank our many teammates in Major League Soccer for doing just that. Though we are disappointed that some USL and MISL players decided it was in their best interest to accept a call-up to a replacement camp, it is of course their decision. For the many USL and MISL players who chose not to accept their invitations, we appreciate your choice to stand up for your fellow players.
We are dealing with a Federation that only has its internal politics and interests at heart. This is damaging the sport because no one within the Federation is willing or able to save the Federation from its own dysfunctional and self-destructive behavior. Federation officials are attempting to prove a point only to themselves and other members of their Board, and are working against what is best for the present and future of our sport.
As players, we believe it is time for the Federation to acknowledge us as professionals, starting with our treatment, extending to our right to share in some of the fruits our success has generated for the sport and for the Federation, and ultimately involving our playing a part in the future of the sport on and off the field.
The current leadership works against what the members of the United States soccer community all want, to grow the sport as effectively as possible and to put our best players and teams on the field. No one benefits from the Federation's plan to field a replacement team. This is nothing more than a way to punish the National Team players and their association for not bending to yet another unreasonable deal.
Make no mistake, the players firmly believe that accepting the Federation's current proposal would be a step backward for not only the members of the National Team, but for soccer in this country. In a few years our friends in MLS will have their own negotiations seeking a fair deal in a time frame that would suggest a league at or close to operating in the black. If the Federation stifles the National Team players to prove that they can dictate terms, Major League Soccer will likely believe they can do the same, and that is, in our view, a primary motivation behind the Federation's recent behavior.
The Federation has recently claimed, on its website and to members of the media that it cannot afford to pay the players the increases we are requesting because it will prevent them from funding their various youth programs and initiatives. This is simply not true. In our negotiation sessions they have specifically denied having made any such claim, because their financial statements simply will not support such a claim. The men's US National Team program pays for all of those youth programs and initiatives. The Federation would not have the funds that pay for all of those programs but for the success of the men's team.
We want to make it clear, however, that our goal is not and never has been to deprive these important programs and initiatives of their funding. We recognize the importance of these programs and are glad that the success of the men and to some extent the success of the women's National Team has enabled these programs to grow over the years.
We also want to make it crystal clear that our proposal will not deprive any of these programs and initiatives of their funding. The difference between our proposal and the Federation's offer is less than $700,000 per year other than the differences concerning World Cup compensation. The World Cup compensation the men are seeking will all be more than covered by the amounts the men's National Team success generates in World Cup payments from the international federation for soccer, FIFA. The Federation has conceded in our negotiations that paying every penny the men have asked for would not affect any of their programs and initiatives. None.
The Federation has a $30 million surplus that increases every year, in large part because of the success of the men's National Team. In 2002 it planned these programs and approved them because it had sufficient money. In Fiscal 2003 the Fed was supposed to earn a $300,000 surplus. In fact, the surplus was $8.7 million. In Fiscal 2004 the Federation was supposed to lose $2.7 million and spend $5-$6 million of the surplus, thereby reducing the surplus by $7.7-$8.7 million. In fact, the Federation had a surplus in 2004 as well, thereby yielding the Federation $8 million more than expected.
So, when the Federation approved all of these programs and initiatives in 2002, they had enough money to support them. The Federation now has an additional $16.4 million and they have already paid for $5-$6 million of the programs. The players are only seeking a small percentage of this amount and have made clear many times that they are willing to set up some form of revenue sharing to provide the Federation with some cost certainty.
This is not about the Federation being unable to afford to pay the players without risking youth programs and initiatives. The Federation has conceded this many times to us in the past year. They simply say, "We have the money but we do not want to pay it to the players." That is drastically different than the current line the Federation is trying to sell our fans.
We need leadership that understands and rewards the value of a strong National Team. We need the recognition that our players have earned on the field reflected in their treatment. We will not take a step back just because the Federation demands it. If the Federation continues to see this as an opportunity to gut the work we've done since 1998, we will be utterly disappointed.
We remain ready to play under our existing contract and negotiate to find the workable numbers that will bring this to a conclusion. Playing public relations games at this late date is not fair to the fans. It gets us no closer to a new agreement, much less the best opportunity to take all three points against Trinidad & Tobago and a step closer to qualifying for the 2006 World Cup.
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Anonymous
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Wow, puzzling is certailny one term you could use!
I think I could argue on both sides of this issue! Both sides are being a little too "me" and not enough "us"! It should be an honor to play for your country, money should not determine whether or not you will play for the Red, White and Blue. However, the Federation should not rake in millions while (some) players make relatively little for thier efforts!
In no way though should anyone criticize a USL or MISL player for taking the opportunity of a life time! Would you pass up your chance?
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