Women's Team in Turmoil?

[Breakwood]

I just saw this at TSN.ca

http://tsn.ca/soccer/news_story/?ID=180997&hubname=soccer

Canadian women's soccer team in turmoil

Charmaine Hooper

Canadian Press

10/16/2006 6:58:26 PM

On the eve of World Cup qualifying, the Canadian women's soccer team is in turmoil with captain Charmaine Hooper and two other veteran players threatening a lawsuit over being axed from the squad.

The Canadian Soccer Association says Hooper, defender Sharolta Nonen and forward Christine Latham were suspended for failing to play in a pair of exhibition games against China in August.

The players maintain they are being punished for not committing soon enough to a residency program, funded by Greg Kerfoot, the millionaire owner of the Vancouver Whitecaps. The residency program would see national team players in Vancouver while training for next summer's World Cup and possibly the 2008 Olympics.

The three players believe the program pressures women to play for the Whitecaps' women's team, a charge the Canadian Soccer Association denies.

''It was strongly suggested you move to Vancouver,'' Hooper said in a telephone interview from her Chicago home.

''We have never done that,'' countered national team coach Even Pellerud.

Pellerud said the requirement for the program is only that players be in Vancouver while camps are taking place.

All three players are based in the U.S. and play for other W-League teams. Hooper played for the New Jersey Wildcats last season while Latham and Nonen are members of the Atlanta Silverbacks.

''If you are in Vancouver, you are going to be playing for the Whitecaps,'' Hooper said.

Kevan Pipe, chief operating officer of the Canadian Soccer Association, says receiving money from the fund was never contingent on playing with the Whitecaps.

''There are no strings attached,'' Pipe said from Ottawa.

''There is no pressure for any of these players to play for the Vancouver Whitecaps.''

But commuting to Vancouver would make playing for another team more difficult and costly.

A Canadian Press call to Kerfoot was returned by Bob Lenarduzzi, director of soccer operations for the Whitecaps.

Lenarduzzi said Kerfoot's interest in the national team does not interfere with his ownership of the Whitecaps.

''They are totally independent,'' said Lenarduzzi. ''The two are totally separate.''

The Kerfoot program, which the Canadian Soccer Association has not made public, pays $20,000 a year each to 20 national team players. The money is above what the players receive from Sport Canada as carded athletes.

Pellerud said the players were suspended for failing to appear for a pair of national team games against China in St. John's, N.L., in August.

''They let the team down,'' Pellerud said.

Pipe said the women were not removed from the fund until their suspension for failing to play against China.

The women argue they were removed from the fund first, which resulted in them refusing to play the China games, which led to the suspension.

Hooper and Latham say they didn't play in the China games because they received e-mails from the national team manager Les Meszaros saying they would no longer get money from the program financed by Kerfoot. The e-mail came after the players had asked for more details concerning a two-month World Cup training camp to be held in Vancouver. They wanted to know where they would be staying and who would cover expenses.

An Aug. 9 e-mail sent to the rest of the national team says Hooper and Latham had been cut from the funding program.

''Unfortunately two players, Hooper and Latham, have failed to commit to this program within time limits,'' says the e-mail. ''At this point, their lack of full commitment to the residency has resulted in their release from the full-time program.''

Nonen had committed to attend the training camp. But when she learned Hooper and Latham had been removed from the funding program, she decided to support them by not playing in the games against China.

All three players were on the original roster announced for the Aug. 19 and 22 China games.

Hooper, Latham and Nonen have a combined 243 caps and 87 goals for Canada. Hooper has scored 71 goals in 131 appearances.<

Other national team members are reluctant to talk on the record about the situation, but there appears to be anger on the squad about the three opting not to play in the China series.

Residential programs are not uncommon for national team programs. The Canadian women's hockey team congregates in Calgary before major tournaments and U.S. Soccer has several of its youth team based in the same city.

The CSA never publicly announced Kerfoot's donation.

''He is a very private man,'' said Pipe. ''We wanted to announce it.''

Kerfoot is notorious for avoiding the spotlight, opting not to appear before the media when he bought the Whitecaps franchise.

Pellerud said no decision has been made on whether the three will be allowed to return to the team.

''The team decision at the moment is that although the door is not completely closed, it's closed for now,'' Pellerud said.

Canada opens its World Cup qualifying with a game Nov. 22 in Carson, Calif.

Hooper, who has played more international games and scored more goals than any other Canadian woman, said she will not play for Canada as long as Pellerud remains coach.

''Not for him,'' she said. ''If he is still there for the next three years, then probably not.''

In a letter sent to Pellerud, the lawyer representing the players called the suspension and resulting loss of funding an ''unlawful, unilateral release.''

''In the event we are not able to resolve my clients' concerns in a timely manner, their options are to proceed with all avenues that are lawfully available to them including . . . initiating a lawsuit with full rights of examination and disclosure,'' wrote Calgary lawyer Alan J. Ross.

The letter questions Kerfoot's funding program and refers to the fact that Pellerud rents a house from Kerfoot.

''There certainly is no law against a private fund established to assist the national team,'' Ross wrote. ''However, when the source of those funds comes from the owner of another soccer team and that owner has the capacity to influence your behaviour in respect of the national team, whether by virtue of conditions attached to the donation of the money and/or for example as a result of your residing in a home owned by the owner, I suggest that a conflict of interest arises.''

Pellerud said he pays rent to Kerfoot for the Vancouver home he lives in.

Pipe said he sees no conflict of interest with a W-League franchise owner helping finance the national team.

Hooper has long been the face of women's soccer in Canada but she has also been a vocal critic of the Canadian Soccer Association at times.

In 1999, the association branded her a ''disruptive entity'' in stripping her and other players of their carding funding. Hooper had lambasted the association for its World Cup preparation and said she would no longer play for coach Neil Turnbull.

Hooper eventually got her carding back and Turnbull moved on.

Pellerud, who won the World Cup with Norway, has raised the Canadian team to new heights in the world scene and is well-respected as a coach.

But Hooper and Pellerud have clashed.

In July, the New Jersey Wildcats lost a playoff game to Ottawa. Hooper and goaltender Karina LeBlanc missed the game because they were playing for the national team in a friendly against the U.S. Pellerud allowed four members of the Fury, who also are national team players, to miss the friendly.

Pellerud said he allowed the Fury to keep the players because the team had made the request six months before the playoffs. He said he would have done the same for New Jersey if it had asked then. But when the team made its request just six days before the playoffs, he refused.

The Wildcats were further incensed when Pellerud opted not to play LeBlanc.

[Richard]

The CSA and its coaching staff are free to select whomever they please for the national teams. I am not at all surprised these three have been dropped. If they were to be included now after this latest saga they would undoubtedly be a huge disruptive influence on the team and definitely impact team performance.

[The Ref]

Pellerud's interpersonal skills and communication skills show much to be desired. And Kevin Pipe, well, we already know all about Pipe.

[near_post]

I think you’re right. This is a communications issue, and likely a power and authority issue.

Nobody resorts to a legal action unless they have been frustrated, manipulated, or lied to in some way. My guess is that something of this sort has taken place between coaches and players.

However, the recipe of the national team, the Whitecaps, the game and player hijinks associated with the recent W-League playoffs, special payments, housing arrangements, and so forth, all add up to really bad optics and the smell of conflict of interest.

You’d think that someone with some sense would have intervened before it got to this stage.

[loyola]

Women’s National Team

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Statement by the Canadian Soccer Association

OTTAWA, ONTARIO - Three National Women's Team players, Charmaine Hooper, Sharolta Nonen and Christine Latham, have retained counsel and made certain allegations regarding their suspension from the national team. The Canadian Soccer Association(CSA) has retained counsel to look into the matter and advise them. As a result of the fact that this matter is now in the hands of legal counsel, the CSA has been instructed not to make any further comments.

[Daniel]

quote:Originally posted by near_post

However, the recipe of the national team, the Whitecaps, the game and player hijinks associated with the recent W-League playoffs, special payments, housing arrangements, and so forth, all add up to really bad optics and the smell of conflict of interest.

What (s)he said.

[The Ref]

How typical of the CSA. Making a public statements to say they cannot make public statements. I think we will soon read that Pellerud has gone back to Norway.

[Richard]

The CSA has no doubt been inundated with calls from the media and others since this story broke. This is a perfectly normal and eminently sensible thing for them to do - issue a press release explaining to all and sundry that they are legally constrained from commenting or giving interviews on the subject so people should stop calling. Cool your anti-CSA jets The Ref.

[sj]

The CSA should stick to their guns.

those three players are looking at their own interests

it was up to them to show up.

the residency program is a step in the right direction, players that want to reduce it effectiveness should not be part of it.

Hooper is not the one that should dictate how the program is run

its not Hooper's or tax payers money.

we need more like Kerfoot around.

so what if he is renting a house to Pelerud what is so evil about that I see it more of a friendly gesture.

I prefer to see the soccer money being spent in vancouver that in Florida.

may be Hooper & co would have prefered to see the residency setup in the states instead of canada.

the CSA can use it any way they feel fit to develop the quality of the team.

time to move on without those three players should others decide to boycott then they should be axed too.

if they want to get a piece of the pie they should abide by the conditions.

what is the use of having a residency program when 1/3 of the team is only going to be there when they feel like it.

I support the CSA 100%.

time to get rid of those bad weeds.

[analyst]

I doubt the Whitecaps womens team wants all the womens national team players to play for it because of the schedule conflicts, so I doubt there is a real conflict of interest.

Charmaine is getting a little long in the tooth for the national team, and Latham may be Pellerud's type of player, but I wouldn't be sorry to see her left off the roster in favour of a more skillful player. Time for some fresh energy.

[DoyleG]

Seems more that the CSA is showing how poor it's admin system has worked.

[near_post]

quote:Originally posted by sj

The CSA should stick to their guns...

Ha, ha, but you forgot to advocate for sainthood for St. Even and St. Kevin.

[The Ref]

quote:Originally posted by Richard

The CSA has no doubt been inundated with calls from the media and others since this story broke. This is a perfectly normal and eminently sensible thing for them to do - issue a press release explaining to all and sundry that they are legally constrained from commenting or giving interviews on the subject so people should stop calling. Cool your anti-CSA jets The Ref.

I hate to get into a controversy with you, so I will just post this response to which you can reply if you wish. Further than that I will consider this exchange with you to be completed and I will cool down my anti-CSA jets.

The CSA may have received some calls, but I doubt they have been "inundated" as you say. Once Kevin said to me that the media never calls him for nothing. But maybe times have changed.

I don't believe anybody is "legally" constrained from commenting. They may have chosen to keep silence on the advice of counsel, but that would be all.

[near_post]

quote:Originally posted by analyst

Charmaine is getting a little long in the tooth for the national team ...

Surely that's not the real issue here - age. The last time Charmaine Hooper played she had a hat trick against #5 ranked Sweden in July 2006.

Some straightforward analysis shows that the #1 and #2 ranked teams in the world are older, player for player, than the #10 ranked Canadian team.

Germany (avg. age 26.6y) and the US (avg. age 26.7y) have players older than 30 on their rosters. The US has 5 players older than 30 years of age on its current 20 player roster. It would seem that experience, savvy, skill, and grit rank high as attributes on both of these top teams.

The real issue at hand has to do with communication and the management of team affairs in a manner that allows Canada to field its best players. Clearly, the human part of this game, as well as the donations of money and facilities by Mr. Kerfoot, have been fumbled by coaches, managers, and CSA staff.

What the situation needs is some outside and objective intervention to get this team back on track.

[Richard]

quote:Originally posted by The Ref

I hate to get into a controversy with you, so I will just post this response to which you can reply if you wish. Further than that I will consider this exchange with you to be completed and I will cool down my anti-CSA jets.

The CSA may have received some calls, but I doubt they have been "inundated" as you say. Once Kevin said to me that the media never calls him for nothing. But maybe times have changed.

I don't believe anybody is "legally" constrained from commenting. They may have chosen to keep silence on the advice of counsel, but that would be all.

Seems you haven't read and comprehended the CSA statement. Legal action against the CSA and others is is threatened. The CSA has sought legal counsel, their legal counsel has advised they not make any further public comment as it may or may not jeopardise the CSA's legal position. You want it to be any more legally constraining than that?

[Richard]

"Clearly, the human part of this game, as well as the donations of money and facilities by Mr. Kerfoot, have been fumbled by coaches, managers, and CSA staff."

That is a gross assumption based on very little fact unless you can demonstrate otherwise.

[Moosehead]

I can see complaining about the management of the CSA, but when it comes to complaining about conflict of interest which has nothing to do with the real issue and getting Kerfoot in the dispute who has been an amazing benefactor for Canadian soccer is beyond me. I would say move on and fight this. I think Hooper has crossed the line. How much is this going to cost the CSA? Isn't there anything in place that can avoid getting lawyers involved?

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

Story is in today's Globe and Mail:-

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20061018.SOCCER18/TPStory/?query=soccer

[Grizzly]

I think the residency program is a good step but there has to be some way of including players in the system who can't or don't want to move to Vancouver. Most of our MNT doesn't even live in Canada so I don't think we should require the women's team players not only to live in Canada but in a specific city in Canada. As women's soccer players don't usually make a very high salary many of them will be glad to join the residency program and they should constitute the core of the nation team but there must be a way to accomodate players not in the residency program. I think a good start would be for the CSA to fund the travel to the camps of those players not in the residency program.

It seems that the tradition of having coaches unable to get along with the players on the team is not confined to the Men's side. I have to say given the whole Ottawa Fury episode that I tend to believe Hooper a bit more than Pellerud. I am also not that impressed with Pellerud as a coach and I have to think that some of Hooper's conflicts with him and the previous coach have to do with a star player being disappointed at always having to work with mediocre coaches when she knows the team deserves much better.

[eastcoaster]

Residency programmes happen all around the world. If you do not join it, you are off the team. I also see it in Canada from time to time. I had a few friends who were cut from various Canada Games teams for refusing to move to a certain location for a certain period of time. May sound unfair, but it is the best option for many teams.

For USA 94, Bora had a residency programme in California. My understanding was that it was a bit controversial at the time, and some players were not happy about it. But he stuck to his guns. If you were not part of it, you simply would not make the national team.

I am all for residency programmes, and if you start to make exceptions for certain players, then you open up a big can of worms.

This is now the second straight coach that Hooper has threatened not to play for ever again. At some point we have to say enough is enough. I am a big Hooper fan, but she cannot always have it her own way.

However, the main problem here is what seems to be poor communication to the three players by Pellerud and the CSA. It makes him and the CSA look very very bad. If things had been communicated properly, and Hooper had still refused to come to vancouver, she would have looked like a spoiled brat. The way things are now, she and the other two are looked at in a more positive light.

[Regs]

The players in question apparently said they were committed to a recent trip (can't remember - did they just go to France?) but then never showed up for the flights which subsequently caused the CSA to eat the cost(s).

The 3 in question also, apparently, are not exactly 'in tune' with their (former) teammates.

My source is within a CSA national program but certainly doesn't think much of those at the top of the association. But it seems this little exercise is not to be hung on their heads. I'd give a big F U to these women if they did that as well.

[near_post]

quote:Originally posted by Richard

"Clearly, the human part of this game, as well as the donations of money and facilities by Mr. Kerfoot, have been fumbled by coaches, managers, and CSA staff."

That is a gross assumption based on very little fact unless you can demonstrate otherwise.

OK, how about: "It would seem that the human part of this game ... "

The Globe article should be a hint.

Any time an internal dispute gets this public, I'd call that a "fumble," or worse.

Others in this forum, and on http://www.gobigred.ca have offered reasonable approaches that might have been considered to avoid such an unseemly situation. There's fault all around it for sure, including players.

Dumping *all* responsibility on the players may have seemed like an easy route to resolution. It isn't, obviously.

[BrennanFan]

is hooper still a sure starter on the team? what about the other 2?

[near_post]

How about?

http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/media/viewArtical.asp?Press_ID=2481

Note primary goal scorer, and list of starting players against #5 Sweden.

[Guest Ed]

quote:Originally posted by BrennanFan

is hooper still a sure starter on the team? what about the other 2?

BrennanFan, please. All 3 are veteran players on the team and for all of them to take this stand really makes one wonder what the hell is going on in the program. We are talking captain material here, not fringe players.