Fearing cuts, soccer program goes on defensive
ALBUQUERQUE — The successful coach of The University of New Mexico’s men’s soccer team lobbied Monday against the possible loss of his program as administrators consider eliminating multiple sports teams to get finances under control within the troubled athletics department.
Coach Jeremy Fishbein told reporters his program was among those being “very seriously” considered for elimination. He and other alumni plan to address the Board of Regents at a meeting Tuesday. The regents are expected to approve the athletic department’s multi-million annual budget for the next fiscal year.
“No sports should be cut at UNM,” Fishbein said in a statement. “Give our new athletic director and president time to develop a plan without losing great young people who are future leaders locally, nationally and globally.”
After taking over the program in 2002, Fishbein turned Lobo soccer into a perennial NCAA Tournament team. Trips to the postseason tournament were nearly automatic, with the team having made 11 appearances in 13 seasons.
The team also has advanced to the Sweet 16 five times since 2004, which included two trips to the College Cup — soccer’s version of the Final Four — and an appearance in the 2005 national championship.
The outcry over cuts comes as the athletics department tries to recover from inquiries into the handling of public money by former Athletic Director Paul Krebs, who resigned last year.
A 2017 special audit of the department and affiliated fundraising groups found a
lack of financial controls over public money, resulting in unpaid access to luxury basketball arena suites, overpayments to coaches and donor perks of golf and alcohol that failed to elicit donations.
There was also an expensive buyout for one coach, overestimated revenue projections for ticket sales and underestimated costs for travel, scholarships and personnel. One of the concerns raised after Krebs left office was soccer’s bloated travel costs as being a member in Conference USA.
The Mountain West, which UNM belongs to in other sports, does not support men’s soccer. The Lobos’ affiliation with C-USA had them take road trips across the country to Columbia, S.C., Huntington, W.Va., and Norfolk, Va. They also had non-conference road matches in Los Angeles, Seattle and Milwaukee.
“How about I counter that with a soccer program that provides the school with national exposure and brings SEC schools to Albuquerque?” Fishbein said. “We have four conference road trips a year. Compare that to other sports.”
Although the university has instituted new controls and oversight, the athletic budget under consideration at Tuesday’s meeting is now being scrutinized as it marks just the latest in a string of unbalanced budgets over the past decade.
Athletic Director Eddie Nuñez is scheduled to address Regents during the meeting. His office said there have been no decisions yet as to which teams could be cut and Nunez has said student-athletes will have a say before decisions are made later this year.
University president Garnett Stokes, who took over last month, had warned during a recent meeting that balancing the budget would not be possible without making “some extremely tough decisions.”
“I’m advocating for no sports to be cut,” Fishbein said. “I feel we can balance our budgets with proper financial oversight and it is my stance that nothing should be eliminated.”
Former UNM soccer players Brandon Moss and Justin Sells will address the regents Tuesday during an open forum, with a number of other notable alumni attending the meeting to lobby on the sport’s behalf.