The CFL has denied a declare from the United Soccer Gamers Affiliation suggesting the league will doubtless cancel its 2021 and ’22 seasons.
The UFPA made the declare Tuesday in an replace posted on Twitter concerning the CFL-XFL partnership. Final week, the 2 leagues introduced collectively they had been coming into severe discussions a few potential collaboration however that nothing had been formally agreed upon and discuss a merger was very untimely.
However the XFL additionally acknowledged it was placing its plans for a return within the spring of 2022 on maintain. On Tuesday, the UFPA introduced on social media there was “a robust chance that the CFL might cancel the 2021 and 2022 seasons as properly.”
The group concluded the replace by stating: ‘We shall be contacting administration from each leagues to debate what we as gamers ought to pay attention to shifting ahead.”
Not lengthy after, the CFL issued a press release denying the declare.
“The UFPA has no standing with the CFL,” the league acknowledged on its Twitter account. “We, in fact, discount with the CFLPA.
“The claims being made in its title on our upcoming season are false. We plan to play this yr. And we’re working very exhausting in the direction of taking part in this yr. That features working towards provincial and federal approvals for our well being and security plan.”
The CFL is planning to renew play in 2021 after cancelling the ’20 marketing campaign as a result of COVID-19 pandemic.
CFL fast to refute UPFA declare
The CFL’s rebuttal prompted a direct response from the UPFA.
“For the document, the one ‘declare made was that ‘a number of sources, together with former and present league coaches and executives, have indicated to us that there’s a sturdy chance the CFL might cancel…,” it acknowledged on Twitter. “That’s 100 per cent true. A number of sources have carried out simply that.
“We’d love nothing greater than so that you can come out and say there is no such thing as a probability in any way that both 2021 or 2022 shall be cancelled and has not even been thought-about.
“We hope what we’re listening to isn’t true, however when half a dozen revered people point out it, we really feel the necessity to carry it to mild. These are OUR jobs/alternatives. All we wish as gamers (is) for extra transparency and to not be left guessing about our futures.”
The CFLPA wasn’t instantly out there for remark.
Particulars of the UFPA are restricted. On its web site, it describes itself as a “501c4 Home Nonprofit Company filed within the State of Texas that was based by, lead, and arranged by present and former skilled American soccer gamers (NFL, XFL, CFL, AAF) to facilitate communication, training and empowerment of gamers not represented by the Nationwide Soccer League Gamers Affiliation.”
The Affiliation is reportedly made up for former NFL, XFL, Alliance of American Soccer and CFL gamers with the purpose of negotiating advantages which can be much like these of the NFLPA. In keeping with a supply, the UPFA was shaped after the XFL folded final yr and finally filed for chapter earlier than being bought for US$15 million by Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson, his enterprise associate Dany Garcia and RedBird Capital Companions — a non-public funding agency.
The supply added the UFPA was shaped for gamers who had been with out a union with the main target of being an advocate for gamers’ rights. The Affiliation is reportedly preventing two circumstances versus each the XFL and American Alliance of Soccer, one other spring soccer league that folded earlier than finishing its first season of operation in 2019.
The supply spoke on the situation of anonymity because the UPFA, AAF and XFL have all not divulged particulars of the 2 circumstances.
