I am still waiting on the third team (fifth in the last month) who has left the Canadian Soccer League this week to respond to my request for comment. Several requests have gone unanswered. Out of respect to that club, I'm trying to wait until they comment to report it, but if you're sick of waiting, much like I am, that information (albeit in bits) is out there.
In the meantime, I did hear back from Sport Resolution on CSL vs CSA. And by that I mean they responded to the email.
I had asked when the hearing was to be held - a simple question - but instead I got this:
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
Please note that as per the conditions outlined on our website, SDRCC conducts its dispute resolution services within very strict confidentiality parameters. As a result, our disclosure policy regarding cases is as such that:· SDRCC will not comment or provide information on cases that have not been yet submitted to SDRCC;
· SDRCC will not comment or provide information on current SDRCC cases;
· SDRCC will not comment or provide information on SDRCC cases which are resolved through mediation (i.e. the agreement reached by the parties will remain confidential);
· For SDRCC cases which are resolved through arbitration, the arbitrator’s decision will be posted on SDRCC website as soon as all parties have had a chance to read it.
That was the longest 'no comment' I have ever received.
And frankly it's silly that the soccer community will know nothing (officially) about this matter until it is resolved. As it is with other government agencies I can, and regularly do, apply to get information and they're usually pretty helpful.
I respect the need for there to be independence - and agencies like this do have a place when conflict inevitability comes up - but there is no good reason for the entire process to not be transparent. This is soccer, not military secrets.