Author’s note: Before he jetted off to the Olympics last week, Canadian Soccer Association president Victor Montagliani chatted with Canadian Soccer News on a variety of subjects. This is the third of a short series of stories, based on that chat.
Back in 2001, then-CSA president Jim Fleming teamed up with federal Minister of Sport Denis Cordere to launch a futile bid to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup. There was no money, no stadiums – no hope of the single biggest tournament in all of sport taking place in the Great White North.
Flash ahead to 2012, and newly elected CSA president Victor Montagliani has just recently announced Canada is back in the hunt, this time to land the World Cup in 2026.
So – what’s changed?
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“Many things,” Montagliani says. “In 2001, we had not really hosted a FIFA event, other than the U-16 in 1987. We’ve hosted more since. The women’s U-19 in 2002, which we all know was a massive success. We then hosted the U-20 in ’07, and we’re now going to host the U-20 women and the Women’s World Cup. So, by the time the bid process starts, in 2018 and ’19, Canada will have hosted every other World Cup under the FIFA banner. You couldn’t have said that in 2001.”
Montagliani also points to the sport’s rising profile in Canada.
“We also have Canadian Soccer News, CBC.ca, MLS – that weren’t around in 2001. The game has gone to the next level, in terms of interest, in terms of economy. We didn’t have the people then that we have in the game now. The game has grown up tremendously, and is now ready to take the next step up, which is being a serious contender for 2026.”
The stadium question still looms large. BMO Field and Saputo Stadium would be third-division parks in most of the world’s biggest soccer nations. And the various CFL stadiums aren’t exactly front-line soccer facilities.
“The stadium that I’m looking out my window at right now – B.C. Place – was not, in 2001, near to what it is now,” Montagliani notes.
“I think the important thing, when you’re looking at facilities – and I know it’s not easy to do this – is don’t look at 2012. You’ve got to look ahead, to the snapshot that needs to be taken six, seven years from now. Because some of our existing ‘A’ facilities might not be ‘A.’ Even the ones that look fantastic right now are probably going to need a bit of a nice little paint job.
“We know we’re going to need facilities; we just don’t know how, what, when and where. Don’t forget, technology has changed tremendously. There’s modular technology now, and so many other things. Who knows what it’s going to be like five, ten years from now?”
There’s still time, in other words. Montagliani also feels that the question of whether Canada could support World Cup stadiums after the tournament ends is also a premature one. He seems to be projecting the past decade of growth forward, adding in Canada’s rising profile in the FIFA backroom, and issuing everyone involved a challenge.
“There’s a lot of work to be done,” he concedes. “Right now, it’s not just my vision. It’s the vision of many people within Canadian soccer. I think a lot of people within the game in Canada are starting to shed this ‘We can’t do it’ attitude, and saying ‘Why not?’
“I can’t see why we don’t have the ability in this country to do that. We have the ability to do everything else.”
Tomorrow: The final installment -- Montagliani on how CSA governance reform is going.