As the Club World Cup approaches, players from the Seattle Sounders are expressing frustration over the bonuses they will receive for their participation. Before their match against Minnesota United, the Sounders staged a protest by wearing shirts that read “Club World Ca$h Grab” on the front and “Fair Share Now” on the back.

The minimum bonus for the Sounders participating in the tournament is set to be $9.5 million, but players feel the compensation structure is outdated due to their current collective bargaining agreement (CBA). According to reports, owner Adrian Hanauer confronted the team after the match regarding their protest behaviour.

The issue revolves around the Major League Soccer (MLS) CBA, which currently stipulates that players only earn 50% of revenue from external tournaments, putting a cap of $1 million to be shared among the team. Although this is an improvement over previous agreements, the players argue that it does not reflect their contributions.

Players also emphasize that the CBA was ratified before the substantial prize money from the Club World Cup was announced, which is why they believe the current terms apply inadequately.

The Sounders have past experience in the Club World Cup, having previously received $500,000, much less than the figure this time, making their concerns about fair compensation even more pressing.

The Players’ Association has declared their support for the Sounders players, stating that they demand fair serious of the FIFA Club World Cup prize money amid increasing workloads and financial benefits that have yet to reach the players.