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| - Major League Soccer and the league's players union reached agreement on a labour deal on Wednesday, averting the prospect of a lockout which threatened to scupper a return to play following the coronavirus shutdown. A statement from the MLS Players Association said the body had ratified a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that would run through the 2025 season. "Today's vote also finalizes a plan to resume the 2020 season and provides players with certainty for the months ahead," the MLSPA said. "It allows our members to move forward and continue to compete in the game they love." The agreement clears the way for Major League Soccer to return to play next month at a tournament which will be staged at a single location at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The players union statement meanwhile referenced the wave of protests against police brutality and racism which have erupted across the United States following the death of an unarmed African-American man in police custody in Minneapolis last week. "We recognize that we are all moving forward -- as players, as fans, as societies, as a world -- into a future that looks much different than the one we envisioned a few months ago," the MLSPA added. "There are problems we face collectively that are both more urgent, and more important, than competing on the field. "We are grieving, we are fed up, we expect change, and we expect action. This change won't come on the field, but it will come partly through the force and determination of all who seek justice and equality. "We hope our return to the field will allow fans a momentary release and a semblance of normalcy." The 2020 MLS season was put on hold in March as the coronavirus pandemic erupted across North America, sending sport across the continent grinding to a halt. Major League Soccer's plan to resume play with a 26-team competition in Florida was put in jeopardy earlier this week over proposed tweaks to an earlier version of the collective bargaining agreement. The MLS and the players union had agreed the terms of a new deal in February, but the agreement was never formally ratified. MLS sought to amend parts of the deal to factor in the financial impact of the coronavirus epidemic and possible future crises. League chiefs had reportedly sought to insert a force majeure clause which would allow the league to back out of the CBA if five or more teams suffered a 25 percent drop in attendance figures in the event of a major crisis. That proposed clause was dropped from the deal agreed on Wednesday. ESPN cited a union source as saying that financial concessions in the new deal amounted to more $100 million (89 million euros), which included a blanket 7.5 percent salary cut and a cap on bonuses for the season of $5 million. rcw/td
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