419 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

Canadian men to host Iran in June soccer friendly at B.C. Place Stadium

Canada, ranked 38th in the world, and No. 21 Iran are both preparing for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar

https://www.vicnews....-place-stadium/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 12 May 2022 - 01:46 PM.

[Mike K.]

Harper won’t like that.

[Victoria Watcher]

Families who lost loved ones in the destruction of Flight PS752 are demanding that Canada Soccer abandon its plan to host Iran for a men's soccer friendly next month in Vancouver.

The families call the planned match a slap in the face and say they want the federal government to refuse to grant visas to Iranian soccer players and those travelling with the team.

"They have no understanding, they have no sympathy, they have no hearts, in my opinion, Canada Soccer," said Hamed Esmaeilion, spokesperson for the association representing families. His wife and 9-year-old daughter died on the flight.

https://www.cbc.ca/n...ps752-1.6456283

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 17 May 2022 - 09:43 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

The head of the Iranian national soccer team coming to Vancouver next month for a controversial exhibition game recently attended a party with a man wanted by the FBI in relation to a plot to kidnap international targets, including three people in Canada.

The April 8 birthday party in Tehran was captured on camera and photographs were posted online. At the time, a warrant had been out for the arrest of the alleged Iranian intelligence informant for almost a year.

Team manager Hamid Estili appears in the photos with Mahmoud Khazein. Khazein is facing criminal charges in the U.S. which include conspiracy to kidnap, conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

https://www.cbc.ca/n...-iran-1.6461706

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 21 May 2022 - 11:31 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Canada Soccer is paying Iran's soccer federation $400,000 to play a controversial exhibition game next month in Vancouver, according to the head of Iran's national team.

The team's director, Hamed Estili, told Iranian state-affiliated media outlet Tasnim that for the first time in 22 years, Iran's soccer federation will make a profit off a friendly match.

Canada Soccer did not answer CBC's questions about the quoted sum or where the money is coming from. The organization said it's normal practice to pay teams for matches like this.


https://www.cbc.ca/n...match-1.6464531

Estili said Iran negotiated with more than 20 other lower-ranked teams to try to arrange exhibition matches — and they all said Iran's soccer federation would have to pay them a fee in order to play.

His comments come as Canada Soccer comes under heavy pressure to call off the nearly sold-out June 5 match at BC Place.

__________

Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart has condemned the game and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said he disagrees with the decision to organize it.

___________

The federal government said that while it provided more than $3 million in federal funding in 2022-23 to Canada Soccer, that money was not used to pay for this game.

Sport Canada said it was not consulted about the Iran match and that Canada Soccer is an independent organization that did not receive federal funding this year for the men's team.

Canada Soccer did not answer when CBC asked whether any federal resources were used to organize this game.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 24 May 2022 - 03:13 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Conservatives call on Canada Soccer to cancel match with Iranian team


Conservative MPs say Canada Soccer's payment to the Iranian team is 'unacceptable'


https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6465701


"Hosting the Iranian national soccer team as victims of Flight PS752 are still suffering and seeking compensation is reprehensible and will only further serve to legitimize the Iranian regime," the MPs wrote in a media statement.

CBC News reported this week that the head of Iran's soccer team said it would make a profit off the friendly match for the first time in 22 years.

The team's director, Hamed Estili, told Iranian state-affiliated media that Canada Soccer is paying Iran's soccer federation $400,000 for the friendly match on June 5.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 25 May 2022 - 02:17 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

And now the game is cancelled.

 

Now, who is the rocket scientist at Canada Soccer that thought this would have been a good idea?

[Victoria Watcher]

Iran's deputy minister of sport now seeking $10M in penalties from Canada Soccer


https://www.cbc.ca/n...-game-1.6466438

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 26 May 2022 - 06:28 PM.

[FogPub]

Panama will play Canada instead, as a replacement for Iran.

 

They probably only got Iran in the first place because there's so few (maybe no?) other non-CONCACAF countries willing to come over here; and all of Europe is tied up this window with their Nations Cup in any case.

[Victoria Watcher]

CityNews Vancouver:


Canada men's national soccer team game vs. Panama cancelled amid wage dispute

The Canadian men’s national soccer team will not play their scheduled friendly match against Panama at BC Place on Sunday. Canada Soccer were forced to cancel practice at the Vancouver Whitecaps’ training facility on Friday. A second practice session, at BC Place on Saturday was also cancelled.

Canada Soccer issued a statement late Saturday night saying it is “currently in discussions with their national team players pertaining to fair and equitable player compensation ahead of the FIFA World Cup period.”





A men's soccer exhibition match between Canada and Panama has been cancelled amid a contract dispute between the Canadian players and the sport's national governing body.

Canada Soccer confirmed the match, scheduled for Sunday at Vancouver's B.C. Place, had been cancelled less than two hours before kickoff.

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6478458

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 June 2022 - 01:40 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Bad form by everyone involved.

Get your **** together.

Thousands of fans made plans, paid expenses to be there today, and you cancel it two hours prior?

Somebody/many at the organization needs to be fired over all this.

This should never had outstanding issues just 2 hours before the game. Everyone is in place, from stadium workers, to TV crews, right up to the players that flew in. For it to explode at the last moment is a collosal failure by organizers and the players’ representatives. Even after the Iran screw up.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 June 2022 - 02:01 PM.

[AllseeingEye]

Well done Canada Soccer, and by extension the national men's team in this case, as you all made the news on Global TV tonight, the lead story to boot. Too bad the entire episode is a PR disaster and a debacle..... 

[LJ]

Well, if you listed to the interview with the Canada Soccer guy, the players are not going to get anywhere close to what they are asking for.

 

He stated even if they gave up every other thing they run, U20, juniors, ref training etc. etc., they would not be able to afford what the players were asking.

[Victoria Watcher]

So are we not going to the World Cup? Haven’t we been putting a little bit of money away every year since 1986?

Now the taxpayers are likely going to have to step up if we don’t want a complete international embarrassment.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 06 June 2022 - 01:49 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

The letter included one big clue. In 2018, Canada Soccer signed a deal with an organization called Canadian Soccer Business, which is tied to the owners of the five-year-old Canadian Premier League. The deal guaranteed Canada Soccer a baseline level of revenue of $3 million a year, and the vast majority of everything after that — chiefly sponsorship deals and broadcast revenues — goes to CSB. The deal was spearheaded by then Canada Soccer president Victor Montagliani, who has since ascended to the presidency of CONCACAF; it was designed to benefit the CPL, partly because FIFA apparently prefers that World Cup host nations have their own domestic leagues. The CSB deal is for 10 years, and apparently has an option to extend it to 20.

___________


So what can be done? The players demanded several steps: a transparent review of the CSB agreement, various changes in Canada Soccer leadership, gender equity in prize money (which Canada Soccer insists it is offering), the development of a women’s domestic league, 40 per cent of World Cup prize money for 2022 and “a comprehensive friends and family package” of tickets, travel and accommodation.


https://www.stcathar...or-this.html?rf

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 06 June 2022 - 01:56 AM.

[FogPub]

The letter included one big clue. In 2018, Canada Soccer signed a deal with an organization called Canadian Soccer Business, which is tied to the owners of the five-year-old Canadian Premier League. The deal guaranteed Canada Soccer a baseline level of revenue of $3 million a year, and the vast majority of everything after that — chiefly sponsorship deals and broadcast revenues — goes to CSB. The deal was spearheaded by then Canada Soccer president Victor Montagliani, who has since ascended to the presidency of CONCACAF; it was designed to benefit the CPL, partly because FIFA apparently prefers that World Cup host nations have their own domestic leagues. The CSB deal is for 10 years, and apparently has an option to extend it to 20.

So is this to suggest the [estimated $10 million) World Cup money from FIFA will mostly go straight to CSB?  'Cause if yes, then no wonder Canada Soccer says it can't afford what the players want; and as it's CSB who stands to benefit most then it's CSB who should be made - somehow - to pay up.

 

Thing is, there's nothing all that egregious about what the players are asking for other than perhaps the friends-and-family travel and ticket perks; though from what I gather even that's pretty much standard in most other major footballing nations if-when they make the WC.

[Victoria Watcher]

There is probably something here to suggest that this deal might have been just fine - if Canada never made the World Cup. Of note, Canada Soccer does get the ticket revenue.

But presumably now that we are World Cup bound, suddenly sponsorship and broadcast revenue money has gone sky high, and Soccer Canada signed away those rights.

[Victoria Watcher]

BBC:

 

 

https://www.bbc.com/...otball/61700190

 

 

The Canada men's national team went on strike on Sunday, forcing a friendly with Panama to be called off.

 

The team's refusal to play revolves around a dispute with the country's football association, Canada Soccer.

 

Canada have qualified for the 2022 World Cup, only the second time they have reached the men's finals.

 

The players released a letter accusing Canada Soccer of "disrespecting" the team in relation to negotiations around World Cup prize money.

 

Among several issues outlined in the letter is a request for an equitable pay structure, along with the women's national team, that would see them earn 40% of World Cup prize money.

 

There are conflicting reports around the percentage of World Cup prize money the players have been offered by Canada Soccer.

 

TSN first reported that national team players had been offered about 10% of the total amount the country would get from Fifa, set to be at least $10 million (£8m).

 

On Saturday, Canada Soccer told TSN its offer was 60% to be split equally between players on the men's and women's teams.

 

"To be clear, the men's national team demand was for 75-100% of the World Cup prize money," Canada Soccer said in a statement.

 

____________________

 

 

Analysis

 

BBC football reporter Simon Stone

 

The issue over the way the national team's players get treated has been bubbling away in Canada.

 

The players believe the majority of commercial rights for the national team have been signed over to the Canadian Premier League clubs, which means money generated by the men's team reaching the World Cup for the first time since 1986 will be diverted away from those representing Canada.

 

In addition to providing additional funds for both youth and women's programmes, the players feel they should be rewarded for their achievements, having played for Canada for relatively small amounts of money over the intervening years.

 

The dispute has cost coach John Herdman some valuable match time and there is no guarantee it will be resolved before Thursday's Nations League game with Curacao.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 06 June 2022 - 04:30 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Vancouver's B.C. Place and Toronto's BMO Field will host games during the 2026 World Cup, FIFA announced on Thursday.

The tournament will take place across Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. The other Canadian city in the running was Edmonton, which fell short in its bid to be named.


https://www.cbc.ca/s...ities-1.6490914

The American cities of Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, New York/New Jersey, and Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara in Mexico will get games in the expanded 48-game tournament.




Er, there are more than 48 games. 48 teams. 80 matches.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 16 June 2022 - 04:03 PM.

[UDeMan]

let's hope with 48 teams in the 2026 World cup that Italy can make it in.

 

I am sure they only are expanding to 48 becuase Italy has missed the 2018 and 2022 World cups.