Canadian promises soccer reform
Victor Montagliani laughed — confusion seeping through — at the comparison.
“So you’re the Bernie Sanders of soccer politics?” I asserted midway through our conversation.
The Canadian Soccer Association president shot back following a brief pause and a laugh. “What, am I left wing?”
No, Montagliani isn’t akin to a dishevelled, mad scientist-looking, American politician.
The comparison, however, is a good one — not to mention a good thing for Montagliani.
Much like what Bernie hopes to do in the U.S., Montagliani believes he’s the guy to repair CONCACAF’s almost irreparable reputation.
That’s why the Canadian Soccer Association president is running for the CONCACAF presidency.
At stake is the credibility — the livelihood, even — of the entire confederation.
As a result, Montagliani’s candidacy starts with his “Football First” ethos. “Every decision has to be in the best interest of football, not in the best interest of a specific country,” he told the Sun this week. “Ask: Is it good for the game?” For decades, decisions made by CONCACAF’s top brass have been everything but in the best interest of the game, or its 41 member associations.
Allegations of kickbacks, wire fraud, bribery, money laundering and more have proliferated among top brass in recent decades.
Their rap sheets are the size of Al Capone’s.
“We’ve had to go through what we had to go through,” Montagliani added. “At the end of the day, you have to vote for the right guy. I’m hoping the majority thinks I’m the right guy.”
A source within CONCACAF recently confirmed to the Sun that the U.S. and Mexico will back the Canadian’s candidacy.
“The Central American countries have supported me,” Montagliani added.
“I know I have quite a few of the Caribbean already.”
His humanitarian-esque approach would appear to make his impending nomination a no-brainer for the majority. He wants to do right by the member nations that have long been ignored. The member nations that, as he put it, can’t even afford bags of balls.
First, CONCACAF’s member nations will vote on a reforms package Feb. 25 that will protect against fraud and corruption while opening up transparency.
“I think (the reforms are) going to happen,” Montagliani said. “There was a consensus to pass the reform package. That’s the first step.
“The election for the presidency will come down to this: Who will live and institute those reforms?
“Who has the experience at an executive level to take CONCACAF to where it has never been.”
That positive place is one where equality and the needs of smaller associations are closer to the front of the queue. “I have countries that struggle to get (equipment),” Montagliani said. “There are things they ask for. They’re asking from a needs perspective.
“The travel costs in the Caribbean are ridiculous. That impacts development. We have countries that need a field and lights.”
The hope is that bottom-up ethos will eventually benefit countries like the U.S., Mexico and Canada — nations that have stagnated in terms of development.
The election goes May 12 in Mexico City.