Tuesday 10 Dec 2019

I haven't been following Hamid's career closely, but I see he signed with FC Midtjylland in 2018. I thought we were done with losing players to Scandinavia. Was there something else going on here, of was that just about money? Sorry to dredge up old news if this was discussed ad nausium already.

 

Had to stop reading after the first sentence, which mentions the street mugging of Ottawa FC as if it was an act of God instead of a cold blooded back stabbing murder orchestrated by the Canadian President of CONCACAF who didn't want them in USL, and the disgraceful board of USSF who were presented with their application back in May and simply refused to hold a vote on it until the league deadline expired 8 months later.

So sure, aside from the open corruption and international conspiracy to force a pretty good soccer organization with a solid fan following out of business because they dared defy the fatass clown who runs CONCACAF, yeah it was a banner year in Canada.

(And in fairness, the CSA actually approved the cross-border waiver despite the risk. It was USSF who bent over and dropped their pants. I won't hold my breath waiting for Grant Wahl to risk his precious CONCACAF or USSF credentials asking any questions about it.)

Much easier poleaxing a soccer team than, say, doing something about recovering the $25 million CONCACAF Center of Excellence complex that Jack Warner stole. Or objecting to the blatantly illegal and corrupt election just held in Trinidad, which even Infantino is pissed off about. But that would take some balls, and, well, those are in really short supply in the region.

Shame on all of them.

 

You're not missing a lot by not reading the rest. Way too much sunny optimism.

 

1776 Revolution Way
I like that address!

 

There was a street in Somerville called Revolution Way, and it was in a new development that was considered for The Revs new stadium around 2006. Surely if they named a street after the team it was bound to happen, right? If you go looking for it now, it's right where the Home Depot is off of I-93.

 

I'm not up on the latest CONCACAF news. What is the story about the election in Trinidad?

 

A group of people associated with Jack Warner won the TTFA leadership election based largely on lies about having secured $30 million in sponsorships from Nike, a local construction company, and several other companies. All of which quickly responded that the documents showing them agreeing to the sponsorships were forgeries and that they had made no such agreement.

http://www.insideworldfootball.com/...ner-acolytes-take-control-trinidad-tobago-fa/

 

https://theathletic.com/1449480/201...r-the-revolutions-evolution-comes-into-focus/

"We’ve got to get the stadium,’” said Kraft. “It was like tunnel-vision on the stadium."

 

Still looks like a decent spot for a Revs stadium! Geez, I wonder if the Krafts or Garber have any Home Depot folks in their network.

 

Assuming a FIFA regulationpitch fit in a home depot, wouldn't the columns make the field unplayable??

 

Thanks

 

I can tell you don't know about the facts. This is what happened in a nutshell

Or maybe managing a cross-border league is more headaches than it's worth? (Customs, distances, travel costs etc...)

"Pretty good soccer organization?"

• Sitting on the CSA board and acting like they were oblivious to sanctioning rules (check)
• Not filing the sanctioning form properly by leaving blank the question "How do you qualify for a sanctioning exemption" (check)
• Not being able to pay the city of Ottawa what they owe aka bleeding money in USL (check)
• Burning bridges in Canada by trolling CONCACAF, CSA & CPL (Check)
• Shutting down their academy (check)

Yep, stellar organization. Their heart simply wasn't into soccer anymore...yet since then they have partner for a baseball and rugby team...lol

You see, most of the soccer fans are also fans of the CFL Redblacks and OHL 67ers. Pulling the plug on the soccer team might have pissed them off... CONCACAF was the perfect excuse to withdraw from soccer without angering part of their base.

Sources within the CSA and CONCACAF corroborated the same story... they didn't even bother to file the sanctioning papers competently. I use to scold my little brother for leaving questions blank on an exam...I expected more from a "stellar sport organization" like OSEG. Then again...this is Ottawa and the Senators are a joke... that city sports scene is curse with horrible & incompetent ownership

I'm just a much a critic of CONCACAF as anyone else but the Ottawa Fury owners did this to themselves and don't deserve any sympathy.

 

For what the league is, it's inaugural year is a success.

 

I'm not going to respond in kind to your obtuse response. I would agree that you have a point or two but mostly it's just naive nonsense.

I would note though that if Toronto FC left one line on their cross-border waiver application blank I doubt very seriously if MLS and USSF would go ahead and boot them from the league. That's just rubbish.

And since the entire thing was undeniably orchestrated by CONCACAF and CSA, you don't suppose that the ex post facto justifications they leak to a gullible, not to say stupid, media might just be a wee bit self serving?

Everyone - even you - knows that this was 100% political. That fat slob Victor Montagliani, who Sunil Gulati made President of CONCACAF because he is easily manipulated, was angry a year ago when Ottawa refused to quit USL and join his pet CPL, which is another step down in quality.

Montagliani wanted - needed - the Ottawa market to make his silly little league a bit more viable and to give them 8 teams instead of a pathetic and difficult to schedule 7. He also wanted the Canadian players that the Fury had under contract to be spread out amongst the CPL teams, although USL pays much better and the players didn't want that. But screw them, Montagliani tried to force them anyway.

He only backed down when Ottawa threatened to file a suit with the CAS in Zurich. But he only approved a one year waiver instead of the standard 3, as other Canadian teams get.

So they had to reapply this year, but rather than be forced to say no again and have the same thing happen, he got USSF to stick the app in a drawer where it died.

Was Ottawa perfect, run by soccer geniuses and incapable of error? Of course not. Many if not most USL teams are pretty hand-to-mouth operations, It's the nature of minor league soccer.

What it was however was a viable soccer team at a level halfway between MLS and the ludicrous CPL, where young Canadians not quite ready for prime time could work on their games instead of getting Coolie wages in a league which is barely above adult rec.

But politics - not a blank line on an app or your little brothers homework - did them in. Stay tuned for a new CPL team to magically appear in Ottawa by next season.

Your naive excuse making for the rats who run soccer is beyond ridiculous. We all know better.

 

Bill, who cares if Montagliani is fat?

 

Well, possibly Mrs. Montagliani.

I must say though that, as hard as you work to try and find some minor thing to carp about in everything I write, the fact that in 10 or12paragraphs the only thing you could come up with is "fat", I must have done a hell of a job.

 

The CSA did file their application to CONCACAF. It's CONCACAF who turned them down. Also, the USSF was sitting on that application, the CSA was waiting for an answer from them. Just clarifying some of the facts/infos that came out. Still, leaving blank the most important question on the application isn't very competent, no?

It's not that simple. Ottawa Fury and FC Edmonton were warned by the CSA back in 2017 that the CPL launch would end their sanction in USSF leagues as there's a moratory in effect.

They were warned that CONCACAF was going to impose FIFA Statute 73 fully. Who sits on the CSA board? The president of the Ottawa Fury.

Lol, why do you hate the man?

Sunil made him president? you can't be serious! The USSF accounts for just 1 vote. The Caribbean and Central America made him president, same block who wouldn't back a US solo bid.

As step down in quality? I've seen Ottawa get beat year after year in the Canadian Championship not even being close of advancing against an MLS team, yet a CPL club eliminates Vancouver, makes Montreal sweat and wins in CONCACAF. Sure...clearly a step down...

The "league" (David Clanachan & Paul Beirne) wanted Ottawa, Montagliani has nothing to do with the league other than throwing his support behind the idea of a Canadian D1 league. As CSA president back then, he was doing his job, the status quo wasn't working. It's Paul Beirne who was the architect of the league and David Clanachan running it,

Another way I know you don't have your facts straight, the league was willing to let Ottawa keep the entire roster and contracts "as is".

The 3 MLS teams have a "waiver" allowing them to not reapply for sanctioning on a yearly basis (it's much longer than 3 years). Ottawa Fury was always on a yearly basis.

The Fury was going to the CAS to argue that they got insufficient noticed to cancel their USL season, they weren't going to argue Article 73 and on that basis, yes, it was too short notice.

They had to reapply every year, that was always the case.

Like I mentioned earlier, CPL accomplished more in a few months than the USL Fury in years...shocking I know. Your ignorance and hating on this league doesn't make you sound "cool" nor "smart", just entertainment.

 

Theres nothing I love better than a Canadian Premier League true believer.

You guys can convince yourselves of anything. It's so cute.

You keep pointing out that Ottawa was long aware that the CSA was going to try and strong arm them into joining their little league. No one would suggest otherwise.

Being aware and being willing to accept it are 2 different things.

And to claim that Montagliani was not the driving force behind the CPL is nothing short of delusional. Utterly ridiculous. Were there other guys involved? Well duh.

And your observation that USSF only has one vote and this Gulati couldnt possibly have been the one who got Montagliani elected is so absurdly dumb that I dont know where to begin on it.

Apparently, to you, he was ele ted because, gosh darn it, all those 35 Caribbean fefs were so enamored of his leadership skills and vision for the future that they said " You know what? Our last two Presidents, who shoveled us piles of cash under the table, are now going to jail, so we should stand for honest, good government from now on"

I'm as much a fan of day drinking as anyone, but you need to put the bottle down.

 

in that they're going to keep doing it next year, sure.

But whether or not it was a success depends entirely on the balance sheets.

 

Aren't you a true believer of Major League Soccer? What's wrong about someone liking their own league? You seemed very triggered by that. Most of us are happy and wish nothing but the best to MLS.

There's precedents to that. Ontario PDL teams were forced to join L1O or fold. BC Soccer will launch a D3 league and already gave noticed that BC teams will be pulled from USL-2.

It's call "FIFA Statute 73". The country's association has last say on what goes on it's territory. FIFA sanctioning is a privilege, not a right.

https://globalnews.ca/news/5201574/bob-young-canadian-premier-league-inaugural-match-hamilton/
It was first reported in 2013 that Young, along with a core group of investors working with the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA), had plans for a FIFA-sanctioned six-team league.

Montagliani endorsed the creation of a Tier 1 league the following year in the 2014-2018 CSA strategic plan. Bob Young wanted to bring MLS to Hamilton initially then looked at USL. He decided to go all in in a D1 Canadian League. There's no CPL without Bob Young who was the one hiring Paul Beirne.

How did he get Montagliani elected? Enlighten me as I recall he couldn't even get the rest of CONCACAF to vote for a 2026 US Solo bid. They'd rather vote for Morocco than the US but somehow Gulati got them to vote Montagliani? wow!

He was elected because he was clearly "not the worst". No one's claiming he's the best.

In a nutshell he promised them more meaningful games for clubs and country and more reinvestment in their football infrastructure. He delivered with the Nations League format and expending the Gold Cup while there's been some reinvestment. They seem satisfy with this but I get that his "perceived" neglect of the North American zone is unpopular in these parts.

 

The creation of CSB (CPL's version of SUM) who acquired the CSA TV rights and bundled it with CPL games to sell it to MediaPro for $200M & to CBC is a positive.

All I'm saying is that it's a good start. Seem like they have found a way to long term viability, time will tell.

 

That doesn't seem THAT outside the prerogative of CSA and CONCACAF.

 

Wow. An intelligent response. Thank you.

Yes indeed, it is in fact well within their purview, which is why FIFA delegates federations and confederations that very authority. No sense having it if they arent going to exercise it occasionally.

And it seems obvious that the CSA et al felt - still feel - that it is in Canadas best interests to have Ottawa, Canadas capital and fourth largest city (or 5th metro or 6th whatever) , in their national league.

My complaint is that its a) not necessarily good for the sport and b) if they're willing to burn down the Fury to get them into the CPL then how much better to do the same to Montreal? Or Vancouver? Why isnt it even more imperative to demand that Toronto leave their US based league and toss in with their national brothers?

If theres a difference I'd be happy to hear what it is, aside from the fact that TFC and the rest have enough money to fight them tooth and nail and Ottawa does not.

 

Even more than that, one would run afoul of their SUM cabal pals to the South and the other would not.

I don't have strong feelings on the proper organization for Canadian club teams in the future, I think you can make compelling arguments for both extremes and a decent argument for the sort of "live and let live" spirit you seem to be proposing as well.

I do think the game in that country is at the stage of development where the interests of the sport and the interests of megalomaniacal capitalists bent on domination are probably relatively aligned, as they were in the Uncle Phil and Lamar Hunt days down here.