Even in the Canadian soccer community the instinct today was to treat the news as something not terribly serious. On Twitter, a hashtag called #MakeCONCACAFCanadian was started where people suggested that in future “bribes will now be accepted in Canadian Tire Money,” fans would be required to yell "POUTINE!" on goal kicks and that the act of receiving two yellows in a game would be now referred to as a “Double-Double,” among many other suggestions.
Funny stuff, but it betrays just how serious Montagliani’s bid is and how important it could be to the future of Canadian soccer.
To the former point, while Montagliani may not be well known in Canada, he is a well-respected figure in the region. He is CONCACAF’s representative on FIFA’s 2016 Reform Committee and the push for him to run was coming almost equally from outside Canada’s borders as it was from within.
As a Canadian, he has the ability to relate to both the confederation’s biggest nations, but also understands how imposing Mexico and the USA’s presence in CONCACAF can be. To borrow an old political term, he has the “middle power” advantage that Lester B Pearson used to win himself a Nobel Prize (and, you know, negotiate peace in the Suez Canal in 1956).
CONCACAF members realize that they need to elect a President that can start to repair the damage its reputation has suffered over the last year. Electing a Canadian would be seen as safe. Beyond that, as stated, Montagliani has also shown to be effective in the confederation in helping to bring opposing sides together on policy.
He’s a pragmatic leader that understands that change can sometimes come in intermittent steps. That’s how he’s approached governance reform in Canada (which hasn’t been as fast to change as many would like) and it’s likely what would be needed to reform CONCACAF -- a slow, steady hand that can prioritize the most important needs and keep people moving in the right direction.
All of this is why he was encouraged to run by a great deal of people in Canada and beyond. It was a decision that, CSN was told, he didn’t take lightly. Montagliani’s reluctance was mostly rooted in a belief that he still has a lot of work here in Canada and wanting to be sure that he could do both jobs (he will remain CSA President if he wins).
Obviously, you can never quite tell what will happen in an election like this. However, make no mistake, this is a serious candidacy. Montagliani has a good chance of winning. Some have even told CSN that he’s the front runner.
But, how important would Montagliani winning be to Canadian soccer?
It’s difficult to pinpoint specific reasons it would be (outside of the reasons that the previous men were arrested for and that Montagliani has pledged to flush out of the game), but political influence at the highest levels of the game is something that Canada has never really had. Beyond the direct day to day voice the country would finally have at the adult's table, Montagliani would also gain political capital that may one day influence other countries in the region to support Canada in initiatives that benefit Canadian soccer.
The most obvious “initiative” of interest to Canada is the 2026 World Cup bid. In his platform released today, Montagliani identified “(d)evising a strategy to ensure the 2026 World Cup is hosted in the CONCACAF region” as a main objective. To be clear, Montagliani will need to remove himself from directly being involved in the decision of what CONCACAF country will be supported in that bid. However, it seems unlikely that the possibility that he might be able to gain support for Canada’s bid by doing an effective job leading the confederation in a difficult time didn't cross his mind.
At the very least, he can be front and centre in promoting the region as the best choice to host 2026. If CONCACAF is the accepted host, then Canada’s chances are vastly improved over what they would be in a worldwide bid. Without significant reform in CONCACAF, it’s entirely possible that the FIFA voters will shy away from the region in 2026, despite the fact it will be the region that’s gone the longest without hosting.
So, he has lots of reasons to think that doing a good job as President will have all kinds of spill on effects.
Beyond the biggest prize, many of Montagliani’s priorities speak to narrowing the gap between the haves and have nots in CONCACAF. Part of that will be designed to gain support among the smallest nations, but many of the initiatives are needed in Canada too. A change in the political climate to allow for those types of progressive changes will benefit everyone, including Canada.
That's great, some might think, but why should the average Canadian fan care?
What might be most refreshing about a Canadian seeking this position is that it demonstrates an ambition that has long been lacking in this sport in Canada. In the past, many here were satisfied in being the biggest fish in this country’s tiny pond of a soccer community. Of course, not everyone responds positively to ambition. In fact, ambition often rubs people the wrong way – by its nature it’s not completely selfless. A big part of ambition is to better your own position and we tend to chop the head off of those who stick it too far above the crowd – but the utter lack of it has been the most defining aspect of the CSA for generations and arguably one of the biggest reasons the country has slipped so far in the sport.
Under Montagliani, the CSA has turned that lack of ambition on its head by hosting a Women’s World Cup, preparing to launch a professional league and, now, seeking the highest office in the confederation. The ambition may also end up landing, in 2026, what would have been a truly unthinkable prize only a few years ago.
The instinct to assume the worst about the CSA is strong in Canada. Sack the CSA is still the default position of many, with an assumption that the leadership doesn’t care about the country’s global position. That idea doesn’t really stand up to much scrutiny. You can question the approach the CSA is taking – maybe you think there are bigger priorities than landing a men’s World Cup – but it’s awfully difficult to suggest the CSA isn’t outward looking at the current time, based on the evidence at hand.
To be clear, no one is suggesting the CSA has been fixed of all the issues that caused the black hole of despair we are only now beginning to emerge from. That would be naive and more than a little unfair to those who remain skeptical. However, it’s equally unfair to suggest that nothing has changed. As stated, the biggest change of all is likely the ambition behind things like Montagliani seeking the CONCACAF Presidency.
It says here that it’s OK to celebrate that ambition, while maintaining a critical eye overall.
Montagliani’s key platform goals are as follows:
1. How the region will continue to grow participation in football, and to deepen our organizational capacity;
2. How the region can promote and grow the development of women’s football;
3. How the region can create more opportunities to play in professional environments, when 75% of CONCACAF members don’t have professional leagues;
4. Devising a strategy to ensure the 2026 World Cup is hosted in the CONCACAF region;
5. How we can create consistent development, both commercially and on the field, ensuring development doesn’t happen unevenly which left unchecked has the potential to become immutable, turning the region into a guild of football elites and perennial also rans;
6. How we aggregate and leverage our collective commercial assets;
7. How we establish centers of coaching and refereeing excellence for CONCACAF; and
8. How we can guarantee the sustainability of our competitions both commercially and on the field.