Voyageurs: official protest vs. the CSA

Discussion in 'Canada' started by Jeffrey S., May 6, 2007.

  1. Jeffrey S.

    Jeffrey S. New Member

    Apr 4, 2001
    Spain
    This letter has been sent from the Voyageurs supporter groups to press, CSA and provincial associations. The CSA AGM is this Wednesday.

    For immediate release:

    The Voyageurs Protest the Hiring Procedure for the Canadian National Soccer Coach

    The Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) has been without a head coach for the Men's National Soccer Team since the resignation of Frank Yallop in June 2006. For a similar amount of time the CSA has also been without a Technical Director. In order to fill these positions, the CSA established a search committee, consisting of the CSA executive committee, and consulted with members of the Canadian National Soccer Team. The candidate selected by the committee as the top choice to fill both positions was Brazilian Rene Simoes, who led Jamaica to the World Cup in 199?. After months of delays in making a decision, the Board of Directors recently decided not to approve the hiring of Mr. Simoes despite the recommendation of the search committee.

    The Best Candidate

    While we understand that it is not our place to determine who is the best candidate for the head coach position, we find it unusual that the search committee's recommendation was rejected. Furthermore, the Voyageurs find it unacceptable that after a lengthy 11 month search process, the Men's National Soccer Team is still without a head coach. The team is currently at a point where preparedness is of the utmost importance with both the Gold Cup (North America's soccer championship, in June 2007) and the qualification stage of the World Cup rapidly approaching. We will now be competing in North America's most important soccer tournament under an interim coach and the eventual head coach will not be able to use this tournament to prepare for the even more important qualification stage for the next World Cup (South Africa 2010). The selection process for the head coach position has taken far too long and has not proceeded in a professional manner befitting of a national governing body of a major sport.

    In 1986, Canada made its only appearance in the World Cup. Since then we have failed to qualify for 5 consecutive World Cups. Qualification for the World Cup provides exposure for our program which could only result in increased funding for the CSA itself and Canadian soccer nationwide. It only makes sense to give the program priority when qualification happens every four years.

    National and Provincial Accountability

    The poor performance of the CSA and its affiliated provincial associations over the last 20 years is due in large part to its directors not being held accountable for their unsuccessful policies. Despite soccer's popularity across the country, the low professional profile of the sport has allowed the CSA and the provincial associations to be operated free from proper scrutiny. Technically, members of the board of directors are responsible to the clubs and amateur soccer players in their provinces yet very few of these players and organizations are aware of the role that their provincial representatives have in the running of our national teams. The fact that many Canadians are unaware that Canada even has a Men's National Soccer Team is a sign of the failure of the CSA to promote the team properly. The Men's National Team rarely plays at home. Yet it is this anonymity that allows the same group of directors to function in secret and not be held accountable for their failed policies.

    The Voyageurs Call for Change

    As long time fans of the Canadian national teams and promoters of soccer in Canada, the Voyageurs want to change how the governing body of our sport is operated. We have suffered through two decades of incompetence at the CSA and it is time for a positive change in an organization we have lost all confidence in. The CSA’s operating budget consists of a significant amount of tax money, as well as a portion of the fees that every registered soccer player pays, and it is time to analyze how this money is spent. Transparency and availability of audited financial reports is necessary. It is time to scrutinize how the various members of the board, including the respective presidents of the provincial associations, have acquired their positions, what their qualifications are and above all to hold them individually responsible for the decisions they are making.

    Canadian soccer is thriving despite the poor treatment of the Men's National Team by the CSA and the provincial associations. Canada now has professional soccer players playing in most of the major soccer leagues in Europe including the English Premiership, the German Bundesliga and Spain’s La Liga. We have the talent to qualify for the next World Cup if the team has a top-notch coach and is given the proper preparation. Our players travel from all over the globe to play for their country and it is about time that we give them the support they deserve.

    The Voyageurs demand that the Board of Directors either honours the recommendation of the hiring committee, or that they issue a press release that explains why the recommendation was rejected and provides information about how they intend to fill the still vacant position.

    The Voyageurs demand that the Canadian Soccer Association and its individual members operate in a more professional manner and be held accountable for their actions. We will do everything in our power to ensure that this is the case in the future.



    The Voyageurs, Canada Soccer Supporters


    The Voyageurs are a national group of Canadian soccer fans. Our mandate is to promote Canadian soccer in our country and be a visible presence at every national team game, both at home and abroad. Our numbers have risen consistently since our formation in 1996 and consist of membership from Victoria to St. John's and all around the world. We travel great distances to watch our national teams play and to support those players who are proud to wear the red and white.

    Since 2001 The Voyageurs have also been the proud sponsors of the Voyageur’s Cups, awarded to the best men’s and women’s soccer clubs in Canada in head-to-head competition.

    Our website:
    www.canadian-soccer.com
     
  2. ag futbol

    ag futbol New Member

    Apr 22, 2007
    Toronto
    Great job, it's about time the board had to answer to someone for their consistant failures.
     

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