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Linford has company ...


Stephen LaRose

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From 24 Hours via SLAM Sports ...

CSA's executive headaches grow

By BOB MACKIN, 24 HOURS

More turmoil atop the Canadian Soccer Association. President Colin Linford quit and new chief operating officer Fred Nykamp may not join after all.

Vice-presidents Dominic Maestracci and Victor Montagliani, from Burnaby, are in the running to be interim president until a replacement is chosen at Oct. 21's special meeting. Former Basketball Canada executive director Nykamp was supposed to start Aug. 1 but has not assumed his CSA duties.

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/Canada/2007/08/29/4454658-sun.html

They don't need a CEO ... the CSA, like any circus, needs a ringmaster.

MODS: if repeated elsewhere, please feel free to delete.

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It's things like this, that make me understand why some of our best talented players such as Hargreaves and Jon DeGuzman are fleeing to European national teams rather than represent their country. When your own nation's governing body for soccer cannnot even have a solid/stable system, one must question the commitment that this country is trying to make in an attempt to become a good soccer/football nation. It's this kind of garbage from the CSA, which sometimes makes me doubt my passion and love for our Canada national team. I keep come back and cheer our MNT on, but the CSA always finds a way to mess with a good thing and end up with nothing but a bunch of passionate soccer fans with a greater distaste and anger for the CSA. The time for change is now!

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Guest Jeffery S.

I have decided I will not accept anyone who replaces Linford, not these guys, not any guy. I will call for the immediate resignation of anyone who replaces him, I won't accept anybody. And I plan to let them know personally, by phone or by letter.

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I agree with Jeffrey. I will not accept the interim replacement, and cannot fathom supporting the next puppet the directors put in place.

It is time to start acting like a proper, mature association. If the CSA cannot handle grassroots, provincial development and the national programs (i.e. our national teams), then we need the programs separated and run separately from each other (though I suspect this will cause massive problems, too).

God, this is bloody frustrating, mostly because the problem will not ever be fixed. Who can mandate a sweeping change at the CSA? The Feds? And do they really care? We need our power elite--the Kerfoots, MLSEs and Saputos, as well as media, grassroots organizations, the Voyageurs etc.--to all put pressure on the Feds to do a rehaul of the CSA. It will NOT happen within, that is for sure.

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quote:Originally posted by Jeffrey S.

I have decided I will not accept anyone who replaces Linford, not these guys, not any guy. I will call for the immediate resignation of anyone who replaces him, I won't accept anybody. And I plan to let them know personally, by phone or by letter.

I wii be right there with you. We need to make our voices heard

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quote:Originally posted by The Beaver

Dominic Maestracci and Victor Montagliani?

Has our association been taken over by third-rate, power-hungry Italians? Not to paint all Italians with the same brush, but football + Italian powerbrokers = corruption, n'est-ce pas?

I agree with Jeffrey. I will not accept the interim replacement, and cannot fathom supporting the next puppet the directors put in place.

It is time to start acting like a proper, mature association. If the CSA cannot handle grassroots, provincial development and the national programs (i.e. our national teams), then we need the programs separated and run separately from each other (though I suspect this will cause massive problems, too).

God, this is bloody frustrating, mostly because the problem will not ever be fixed. Who can mandate a sweeping change at the CSA? The Feds? And do they really care? We need our power elite--the Kerfoots, MLSEs and Saputos, as well as media, grassroots organizations, the Voyageurs etc.--to all put pressure on the Feds to do a rehaul of the CSA. It will NOT happen within, that is for sure.

I'm of the impression that Mo Johnston doesn't think much of the CSA (after what happened to his goaltender at the Gold Cup). Maybe he could get MLSE to knock a few heads at the CSA. Then again, asking for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment's assistance in anything is a sign of desparation, but these are desperate times.

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quote:Originally posted by The Beaver

We need our power elite--the Kerfoots, MLSEs and Saputos, as well as media, grassroots organizations, the Voyageurs etc.--to all put pressure on the Feds to do a rehaul of the CSA. It will NOT happen within, that is for sure.

Well said Beav!

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quote:Originally posted by Stephen LaRose

I'm of the impression that Mo Johnston doesn't think much of the CSA (after what happened to his goaltender at the Gold Cup). Maybe he could get MLSE to knock a few heads at the CSA. Then again, asking for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment's assistance in anything is a sign of desparation, but these are desperate times.

The last thing we need the CSA to be doing is to be taking cues from Mo Johnston.

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quote:Originally posted by The Beaver

Dominic Maestracci and Victor Montagliani?

Has our association been taken over by third-rate, power-hungry Italians? Not to paint all Italians with the same brush, but football + Italian powerbrokers = corruption, n'est-ce pas?

I agree with Jeffrey. I will not accept the interim replacement, and cannot fathom supporting the next puppet the directors put in place.

It is time to start acting like a proper, mature association. If the CSA cannot handle grassroots, provincial development and the national programs (i.e. our national teams), then we need the programs separated and run separately from each other (though I suspect this will cause massive problems, too).

God, this is bloody frustrating, mostly because the problem will not ever be fixed. Who can mandate a sweeping change at the CSA? The Feds? And do they really care? We need our power elite--the Kerfoots, MLSEs and Saputos, as well as media, grassroots organizations, the Voyageurs etc.--to all put pressure on the Feds to do a rehaul of the CSA. It will NOT happen within, that is for sure.

Without the help of ITALIAN-CANADIANS, you wouldn't have a country to live in you arsehole!

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Firstly, it isn't useful or helpful to start ethnic mud-slinging. So the third-rate, power-hungry Italians comment should be thrown out the window. And the disclaimer that "not to paint all Italians with the same brush" ain't gonna cut it, either - that's a bit disingenuous.

But the idea of getting the country's soccer elite involved - Kerfoot, Saputo, MLSE, etc. - is reasonable. The infamous Crawford Report that is often thrown about on this forum (and I have been one of the many mentioning it) had as its authors some of the more influential business people in Australia.

In fact, the President of the FFA continues to be Frank Lowy, a fellow worth a reported $4+ Billion. Perhaps someone with the passion of a Kerfoot or Saputo could be convinced to not only assist with a review, but step forward for election to a Board position?

Nah. That would make too much sense. Instead, let's have the same daft structure with the same ol' boys club. That'll help footie in our country.

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Being 1st generation canadian of italian parentage, my words for Mr. Impact...get over yourself....don't take offense....like everyone else who has power, they as well have an agenda. Ego is the worst thing that comes with power and it shares no nationality boundaries .Wherever the people in the CSA are from....they need to be toppled.....lets get a new, forward thinking generation of people out there. As i stated in another forum, i am only learning more as this goes on and am far from from claiming myself knowledgable about the inner workings of the CSA. But i will side with Jeffrey and the Beaver, i as well will not support the next President of the CSA.

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I don't care if these guys are Italian, Portugese, or Somalian....we need qualified professionals running the CSA, not volunteers who likely have little business acumen.

At the provincial level, it MIGHT be ok to have the Associations led by volunteers. At the National Level, we need professionals. We need businessmen. We need people with contacts. We need people who are accustomed to dealing with successful people. And lastly, we need people who have the authority to work independantly, knowing that their successes and failures will be evaluated on an annual basis by the board of directors. However, until review time, they just need to back off and let the people they hire do their jobs.

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My apologies for the ethnic slur. It was lazy, I accept. (I meant it tongue-in-cheek, but I am more than glad to delete the reference if it means we can get to what is most important).

-----

Now, with that said, can we not lobby Kerfoot and Saputo and MLSE, the media, other grassroots organizations, to put pressure on the CSA etc. Should we consider diseminating a petition for parents and children to sign, something that spells out OUR vision for soccer in the country, something brief and similar to that of the Australian mission statement, one that puts the success of our national teams at the fore, with the understanding that success at the international level leverages greater registration, more money for development programs, more sponsorship etc.

What we would need to do:

1) Draft a simple, very clear-sighted but effective mission-statement/petition.

2) Draft a press release announcing our petition drive, and our push for an entirely new, better structure at the CSA etc.

3) Send the press release.

4) Hit the streets and soccer fields in all of our towns across the country, fully clad in proud Canadian colours, gathering names and phone numbers and postal codes and signatures for our national petition. We should set a goal, and we should indicate that goal in our press release.

5) Press release should be posted here, and the ability to sign the petition on-line should be extant.

Questions: Who exactly, are we sending the petition to? In a sense, it sort of doesn't matter since the biggest reason to start the campaign is to put real pressure on the CSA for change. I assume that the best way to hurt the CSA is to threaten their funding--Federal, corporate and grassroots--so perhaps we aim the petition to the Federal funding body, asking for a full review and REAL changes to the existing, dysfunctional ass-backwards structure.

Also, if we take up this campaign, it will mean we need full support of the Voyageurs, right across the country. I am confident we can draft an intelligent, effective press release and strong mission statement/vision for the future of soccer in Canada, and getting our message out to the media will not be too difficult, especially if we follow up the release with real action ie. petitioning 20,000 TFC fans at the next game, petitioning 20,000 soccer fans at Costa Rica v. Canada, petitioning every soccer park in the country over one or two weekends immediately after the press release. The tough work will be getting our asses out of our comfy chairs and out onto the street and out to soccer fields. We should go out in pairs--makes it easier--and we should see if we cannot get 100,000 signatures, maybe more. (800,000 would be a nice symbol, in that it represents roughly the total players registered in the country).

What do you say?

We would divy up the work so that nobody has to do it all.

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quote:Originally posted by Mr.Impact

Without the help of ITALIAN-CANADIANS, you wouldn't have a country to live in you arsehole!

Oh come on!!!!!, he's joking. As first generation Canadian of Italian Backgound, I got a chuckle out of this assertion while discussing this over lunch with another Voyageurs today of similar extraction.

There are too many Italian accents at the CSA!!!!

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quote:Originally posted by The Beaver

My apologies for the ethnic slur. It was lazy, I accept. (I meant it tongue-in-cheek, but I am more than glad to delete the reference if it means we can get to what is most important).

But I dont see what there is to appologize for.

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quote:Originally posted by The Beaver

My apologies for the ethnic slur. It was lazy, I accept. (I meant it tongue-in-cheek, but I am more than glad to delete the reference if it means we can get to what is most important).

-----

Now, with that said, can we not lobby Kerfoot and Saputo and MLSE, the media, other grassroots organizations, to put pressure on the CSA etc. Should we consider diseminating a petition for parents and children to sign, something that spells out OUR vision for soccer in the country, something brief and similar to that of the Australian mission statement, one that puts the success of our national teams at the fore, with the understanding that success at the international level leverages greater registration, more money for development programs, more sponsorship etc.

What we would need to do:

1) Draft a simple, very clear-sighted but effective mission-statement/petition.

2) Draft a press release announcing our petition drive, and our push for an entirely new, better structure at the CSA etc.

3) Send the press release.

4) Hit the streets and soccer fields in all of our towns across the country, fully clad in proud Canadian colours, gathering names and phone numbers and postal codes and signatures for our national petition. We should set a goal, and we should indicate that goal in our press release.

5) Press release should be posted here, and the ability to sign the petition on-line should be extant.

Questions: Who exactly, are we sending the petition to? In a sense, it sort of doesn't matter since the biggest reason to start the campaign is to put real pressure on the CSA for change. I assume that the best way to hurt the CSA is to threaten their funding--Federal, corporate and grassroots--so perhaps we aim the petition to the Federal funding body, asking for a full review and REAL changes to the existing, dysfunctional ass-backwards structure.

Also, if we take up this campaign, it will mean we need full support of the Voyageurs, right across the country. I am confident we can draft an intelligent, effective press release and strong mission statement/vision for the future of soccer in Canada, and getting our message out to the media will not be too difficult, especially if we follow up the release with real action ie. petitioning 20,000 TFC fans at the next game, petitioning 20,000 soccer fans at Costa Rica v. Canada, petitioning every soccer park in the country over one or two weekends immediately after the press release. The tough work will be getting our asses out of our comfy chairs and out onto the street and out to soccer fields. We should go out in pairs--makes it easier--and we should see if we cannot get 100,000 signatures, maybe more. (800,000 would be a nice symbol, in that it represents roughly the total players registered in the country).

What do you say?

We would divy up the work so that nobody has to do it all.

At least I suggest you call it a media release.

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I really don't have a clou

Only kidding. I guess I could talk to all my media contacts and try to explain the Voyageurs network accross Canada and our great displeasure with the workings and make up as well as the organizational set up of the CSA.

The guys that I know have been either part of a Canadian team or have been involved directly with the CSA.I suppose we could call for an advisery board which would and should study the present set up and also get from the FIFA the entire breakdown as to the inner workings of all other National Associations.

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Shall I assume that we mostly just want to rant? That the extent of our taking action will be to lob some plaintive "media" release and see if somebody pays attention?

Real change takes real pressure and hard work to make happen. I know you lads don't need a lecture, but our activist credibility will not grow if all we really do is issue media releases that do little more than whine.

If we truly cared, we'd get off our asses. We care, certainly, but not enough to actually do anything of signifance. Again, it seems rather clear that the activist arm of the Voyageurs is truly in the minority, which is fair enough.

How did Australia make its sweeping changes? Where did the pressure come from?

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TIf we stay silent and don't issue a release (even if it's flawed) then we are simply acquiescing to the status quo. Silence in this case equals acceptance.

The activist arm of the V's might be in the minority but I think we're all trying not to exclude anyone. And if by moving slow is the best way of keeping as many on board, then that's the way to do it. The fact we now have a 'Voyageurs' section in the forum is a good step forward. We just need more participation.

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quote:Originally posted by River City

TIf we stay silent and don't issue a release (even if it's flawed) then we are simply acquiescing to the status quo. Silence in this case equals acceptance.

The activist arm of the V's might be in the minority but I think we're all trying not to exclude anyone. And if by moving slow is the best way of keeping as many on board, then that's the way to do it. The fact we now have a 'Voyageurs' section in the forum is a good step forward. We just need more participation.

Not suggesting that we NOT release something to the media. I agree, it is important to take some sort of action. But pretty soon we'll have to roll up our sleeves and do some real work if we want to be taken seriously. I suspect that we are not, in general, particularly enthused about doing what it takes to affect change. Some are, for sure, but I don't believe we've the critical mass yet. And that is fine--this is a fan site more than anything. Fans rants. Fans rarely take real action, save for NOT buying tickets to games, which we all know is NOT a particularly effective way for us to affect change. No beef or bitterness here; just facing reality.

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