Morace to quit after WWC?

[dvst8]

Read my archives. My history of quoting unnamed sources is solid - I don't print crap and my info has been proven to be correct time and time again.

I will never get information from the CSA again if I betray a confidence. So, sorry. You're going to have to trust me. Or, not. It's up to you.

Not sure about other readers on here, but I think it's hard to trust you considering you haven't responded to a single question posed to you on your CSN forums regarding your source's information, or lack thereof.

[terpfan68]

You can't be bought if you're not for sale.

[The Ref]

Mr. Duane Rollins, please retire from this forum. Personally I don't want you here.

[Joe MacCarthy]

Mr. Duane Rollins, please retire from this forum. Personally I don't want you here.

Why, because his info conflicts with your long time baseless anti-CSA agenda.

I don't recall anyone posting before I did my speculation of Carolina and her mafia heading down to the US. Pia has not been getting the results of old, Carolina's on a roll, put two and two together and get five.

And dvst8, I'll take a long time and consistant contributor like Duane's info before that of a 10 post wonder.

[Joe MacCarthy]

The WNT players have a history of reacting defensively when questioned (remember the Sinclair interview where she ripped De Vos for questioning EP's tactics?)

Much as I love Christine's genius on the field off the field she's no Norman Einstein in her media dealings.

How about this one,

"Obviously she has her own issues with the CSA that we as players don't know too much of," Sinclair said."

Yup, we don't know what she's up to but we support the coach. Baa Baa

It's like the cult of Pellerud all over again, who'll get thrown under the bus this time when the going gets tough.

[Joe MacCarthy]

I'm getting a hard time for not simply reporting the women's concerns without questioning whether they are legitimate.

Not from me your not, my spider sense is telling me that Carolina is the villain in this piece. She's a trained shylock, this kind of power play would be right up her alley. Stay tuned.

[Kibby]

Mr. Duane Rollins, please retire from this forum. Personally I don't want you here.

lol jesus.

[Cheeta]

^Exactly (on that last point).

What if this is a ploy by CM to get the biggest prize of all?? Looking south, she would be numero uno candidate for our such good friends and allies. Poach our top youth player, now poach the coach.

(Way too much happening below the surface on this whole affair but for the sake of argument..)

Thing is if that were true it means the best in womens football think she's worth poaching doesn't it? It would also means she's been made a superior offer to her current circumstance. That alone is an advert for keeping Morace & Co on.

Whatever complaints (warranted or otherwise) the CSA suits have with her the fact remains she taken a program which has been stagnant for a decade and turned it around 180 degrees. I mean seriously, we've gone from watching the international women's game move beyond what Canada could offer to looking like world beaters again. Real world beaters. We're at the point where we wished the MNT could play the sort of football the WNT brings to the pitch. And if the fashion in which this was accomplished has rubbed some the wrong way so what? So what? Whatever it is it works so get some more of it and the more of it the better.

We shouldn't be a-feared to think outside the box, even if it rubs some suits out in Ottawa the wrong way or calls for a new program model. Not saying to just go and give away the farm or anything, I'm just saying don't be shy to reward success when reward is due.

Oh, and as to all these financial numbers being thrown around let's just say I don't trust ANY financial numbers the CSA puts out. Not one dot. Not until I see something a little more detailed than Women's National Team program budget = $x. Learned enough over the years to know accounting bull**** when I see it.

Give me the Admin & staff allowance, travel allowance and player compensation numbers (at the least) and I think we can all make a far better judgment as to the value of the WNT budget in real world terms.

[Duane Rollins1555362254]

Was the 2010 budget you were provided approved by the Board?

yes

[Duane Rollins1555362254]

Mr. Duane Rollins, please retire from this forum. Personally I don't want you here.

No.

[dbailey62]

Mr. Duane Rollins, please retire from this forum. Personally I don't want you here.

Maybe you don't but I do. If you don't want to read his words, perhaps you should retire from this forum. It is entirely up to you.

[navycyr]

I find this whole issue unfortunate. I've read this whole post and I have questions : Who the CSA is accountable to ? If you have a dispute with CSA is there anybody you might appeal to ? At the root of this whole affair, appears to me lack of accountability and lack of an independant person or body to examine grievances against CSA and make recommendations. At least, it might prevent such a public drama and maybe give a fairest treatment to those who might be discriminated.

[hc1]

Some quotes from http://www.rhianwilkinsonsoccer.com/reports/article120%20%20Player%20Press%20Release%202011.html

"...For the past two years the women's team has requested that the CSA provide them with a fixed term compensation agreement that provides stability and predictability to players...."

"...Members of the women's team have been informed by a number of sources that Canada's men's team operates under a fixed term arrangement with the CSA under which members of the men's team are provided with compensation on a per game basis. In contrast, the women's team players, many of whom have no choice but to continue to live at home with their parents, receive ad-hoc compensation from the CSA. Further, the CSA has failed to disclose to the women's team the terms of the arrangement with the men's team or provide information to justify different treatment...."

"...They currently receive approximately $1,500 per month in funding from Sport Canada, or $18,000 a year...."

"...In contrast to the Canadian women's team, the U.S. national women's team signed a six-year compensation agreement (2006-2012) that sets out a payment system equitable to the way the American men's national team is paid...."

[Vic]

Hey cyr, welcome back. It's the SDRCC but at this point everything is anticlimactic and formality and going through the motions. There was a cash offer today to the women from the CSA but it was turned down. There will be more negotiation and drama and talk and smiles and lots of listening and we're-all-working-together followed by handshakes and thank-you's and finally "we've succeeded and have a bright future for Canadian women's soccer." Everyone will be a hero and the champagne will flow and the party will go all night long.

Pretty soon after people will begin to realize the day they got counsel, publicly announced a boycott and put themselves ahead of our World Cup bid - the end game was already in stone. I'm not going to ruin the story but if you follow the CSA closely enough and go down the road a ways it doesn't take a lot to figure out what that is.

The question that will go down in history is how did our women's program get such a vacuum in counselling and leadership they couldn't see it coming.

[StrandOne]

The question that will go down in history is how did our women's program get such a vacuum in counselling and leadership they couldn't see it coming.

So step up, Vic. Give a team member a call and read to them from the annals of history so the team is well-informed. It's the least you can do, right? It's a phone call. Step up. Whose number do you want?

[CoachRich]

yes

Ok, my turn to give this another look -

1. The 2009/2010 budget PPT shows the 2010 WNT budget at -

CSA Internal funding - $1,073,000

OTP Sport Science External funding - $580,000 (performance needs based)

IMO we are being distracted by the CSA in a couple of ways -

A. The CSA wants us to look at the Seniors and Youth but they are separate line items and the present issue is about the Seniors as that is where the contract lays with one program and not the other.

B. The CSA is not telling us how much of the MNT revenue is going back into their program hence don't bother to include the Sport Science External funding

C. Where this leaves us is with the CSA internal funding is the MNT got $1,099,000 and the WNT got $1,073,000 which is not much of a diff in by book

2. 2010 Actual expenditures -

A. Duane, please ask your CSA insider to furnish you with the CSA 2010 financials so we can see how they recorded the totals of the combine programs. The CSA 2010 financials may be done by now or in draft from for the CSA AGM and the Sports Canada filing.

B. Note one of the problems with the CSA accounting is unlike the USSF the CSA combines Senior programs hence you can't really figure things out who much internal funding and external funding goes to each program. Many the inline items based on gender like the USSF is something that the CSA should do so there is better transparency. This transparency issue should be a reform mandate at all levels of the soccer structure from youth to district to PSO to the CSA

3. CSA 2011 budget

A. Ask for the 2010/2011 budget PPT as it was probably done for the 2010 AGM. There we will see what the MNT internal funding and WNT internal plus external funding is.

B. My guess on what we will see for the 2011 budget is that the CSA internal funding is pretty much the same for both programs like 2010. The external performance based funding for the WNT we know should be at least $1.425 in it.

4. CSA 2011 Financials

A. This is where we should see how the CSA used the external funding for the WNT. Until we see the 2011 Financials we don't know how the CSA used the -

i. OTP $1.425

ii. CONCACAF win $250K ?

iii. FIFA WWQ funding $300k ?

5. External funding and revenue -

A The MNT and WNT have different methods of achieving external funding and revenue - .

i. In the CSA Financials we can guess at what is happening with the WNT performance based funding as we know how much it is by seeing it at OTP/Sports Canada and seeing in the CSA budget. But the CSA financials because they are combined it a guess.

ii. With the revenue of gate receipts and similar we can only guess it's all men's. We have no idea where the CSA might put CONCACAF winnings or FIFA WWQ or similar. Maybe someone has an idea? Anyway, we have no idea in the MNT budget or expenses if any of their revenue is used like we are told for the WNT external funding. Again there is a transparency issue for the reformers.

6. Where does the CSA include the MNT CBA/contract expenses? Anyone care to guess???

I appreciate what you are trying to do with your CSA insider but some of the above should be available and ready for the public domain for discussion.

[CoachRich]

The question that will go down in history is how did our women's program get such a vacuum in counselling and leadership they couldn't see it coming.

For others the question is what the heck has the CSA been sitting on their hands for since the Charmain Hooper revolts for appearance fees back to the U19 WWC. It's not like the WNT hasn't been asking the CSA to get to the table over the last 8 -10 years

The CSA should have figure out a CBA/contract was coming once the USWNT started to threaten and boycott the USSF over CBA's and pay parity. Yes, the US Senior programs in 2000 had parity.

[Vic]

So step up, Vic. Give a team member a call and read to them from the annals of history so the team is well-informed. It's the least you can do, right? It's a phone call. Step up. Whose number do you want?

Anyone with a moral compass doesn't need anyone to tell them anything.

[empty_search]

Assuming that your post (#92) was at least in part a result of my question, thank you Duane. It appears that the article at http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/story/2011/02/08/sp-canada-csa-soccer.html addresses the elements of the financial issue reasonably clearly. Considering that you have a source with board connections, I would think it should be possible for you to find out whether or not the men get performance fees. If they have been receiving them and the women not, it is a serious strike against the CSA.

to Vic - again. Hopefully you see that your comments regarding putting self interest ahead of the country wrt to acquiring the 2015 Women’s World Cup fall first upon the shoulders of the CSA. As the decision making body, they could have chosen to satisfy both Morace and the members of the women’s team in order to avoid any controversy before the bid was acquired. They chose not to. By arguing for a gag order to be imposed and your latest comments, you appear to want to hold the coach and players to greater account than you do the board. Why are you giving the CSA a pass?

Ed Dick

[Cheeta]

For others the question is what the heck has the CSA been sitting on their hands for since the Charmain Hooper revolts for appearance fees back to the U19 WWC. It's not like the WNT hasn't been asking the CSA to get to the table over the last 8 -10 years

The CSA should have figure out a CBA/contract was coming once the USWNT started to threaten and boycott the USSF over CBA's and pay parity. Yes, the US Senior programs in 2000 had parity.

Worth highlighting. That issue has been a festering wound for years now and just adds to the perception that the womens game isn't given serious consideration within CSA HQ. One more very heavy straw on the camel's back as it were.

I don't really subscribe too much to the comparisons between the MNT budget and the WNT budget and whether or not the players are compensated this or that for appearances or performances. Comparing professionals to amateurs is light years apart and beyond useless.

But the CSA has to operate in the very real world of womens soccer and the reality is next to nobody makes a living playing womens soccer. So either you reasonably compensate the players for being part of the program or you don't.

On the one hand you're making the NT program available to everyone based entirely on individual merit. While the latter means we've got to accept players will continue playing for Canada only when their personal financial capacity allows for that.

I have to say I find something distasteful with the notion that representing Canada in athletic competition, where our expectations are usually so high, requires not only personal sacrifice but also financial sacrifice for the players involved.

[Marc]

I'm a little confused, but are we talking about per-game appearance fees and suggesting that the men get them and the women don't?

I'm almost positive that the men have had per-game fees in the past. Basic amount plus a little more for a win, no? I remember them being an issue back around 1999, Mark Watson taking the lead on it from the players' side. Things may have changed since then.

[navycyr]

For those who understand french, Amy Walsh was interviewed last night on the french CBC radio on the subject. The interview is now reproduced this morning on the french CBC internet site under the title ; A young woman in anger. http://www.radio-canada.ca/sports/soccer/2011/02/08/002-walsh-canada-morace.shtml

[DougAB]

The women put gender equality on the table. The 2010 budget was provided to allow people to get some idea of what we are really talking about.

The women received more funding than the men from the CSA in both 2009 and 2010. I have not seen the 2008 numbers, but I'd guess the men got a bit more that year. The point is that the funding level is pretty close. I don't think it's possible from a funding perspective to argue that they are being treated unfairly *within the context of soccer spending*. We'd all love to see them (and the men) get more.

The CSA people I have talked to insist that Morace does have full control. Like any manager, however, she needs to stay within the budget and must report to someone above her. There are very few people in the world that don't.

Duane,

You seem to be writing and providing some conflicting and misleading information to the Canadian soccer public regarding Carolina Morace.

According to you and your CSA official in your February 6th blog “Morace’s Demands” you say:

“Up to now, the only restriction that manager has placed on Morace is that she keep spending within the budget that has been set. Morace has balked at even that, demanding that she be provided with total control.”

Anybody in business knows that if a company puts you in charge of the budget then you need to have full control of the budget or else you cannot be held accountable for the results/goals as they pertain to the company. Remember, according to the CSA’s very own “S t r a t e g i c P l a n 2 0 0 9 – 2 0 1 3: A medal is to be achieved by the Senior Women’s National Team at the World Cup or Olympics”. I would say that Morace needing total control is important to achieving these goals.

As you and your CSA official have stated: “Currently, Morace must keep a manager on her staff that represents the CSA’s interests.” Why are the CSA’s interests any different than the interests of the Head Coach that they hired to win these medals?

“She doesn’t want to report to anyone,” a CSA official said.

Who is Morace supposed to report to and in what way according to the CSA?

“The CSA took a mostly hands off approach to the women’s program under Even Pellerud. With no controls on his spending he consistently was $300-$500,000 over budget”.

Who in the CSA needs to take responsibility for what happened pre-2009? Does Morace need take to responsibility for things that happened long before her time?

“And it’s not a small budget. Canada is likely the only country in the world that is currently spending more on its women’s program than it is on the men’s. CSN was told that the women receive about $500,000 more than the men, despite generating next to no sponsorship money. The entire men’s budget is funded from ticket sales, appearance fees and sponsorship deals”.

“The women are funded directly from the CSA membership as well as the Canadian Olympic program/Own the Podium. About $1.5 million comes from Olympic sources.”

So how can you and your CSA official state that the women generate “next to no sponsorship money” and then very closely follow this statement with “$1.5 million comes from Olympic sources?”

On every CSA women’s press release it ends with “Canada, whose title sponsor is Winners and presenting sponsor is Teck”. So are you saying that the sponsorship dollars generated by these two women’s sponsorships do not go to the women’s national team program? Also if 43% of the overall Provincial Association membership fees paid to the CSA originate from soccer playing females in Canada, then how many of these dollars actually go to the women’s national team?.

“It’s estimated that no more than five countries in the world have a larger budget for women’s football”.

Back to the Canadian Soccer Association’s very own “S t r a t e g i c P l a n 2 0 0 9 – 2 0 1 3: A medal achieved by the Senior Women’s National Team at the World Cup or Olympics” - IF this is the case then the women’s budget needs to be similar to the budgets of the top three countries in women’s football.

Just to put it in perspective - the 2007 USWNT Programming Budget in the last Women’s World Cup year was almost 5 million USD (not including coaching or management salaries or equipment), and in the 2008 Olympic year, the USWNT Budget was over 6 million USD (not including coaching or management salaries or equipment). The US Youth National Team Programs (boys and girls) budgets for 2007 & 2008 were between 6.5 and almost 9 million respectively.

“Additionally, the CSA has been willing to overlook a great deal of other things with Morace. When she was hired it was expected that she spend a significant amount of time in Canada working with young players and coaches to help build for the future. That hasn’t happened.”

I will speak from what I have seen and heard locally: Morace has been to the prairies on more than one occasion for the purposes of scouting NTC players and spending some face to face time with the NTC coaches. She has also scouted the U18 Club Nationals that took place in Edmonton and the senior women’s club championships that took place in Saskatoon.

Are you and your CSA official suggesting that this never occurred?

“She’s never here,” a Canadian soccer insider said. “An apartment in Mississauga was arranged for her when she took the job. I don’t think she’s ever been in it.”

Are you and your CSA official suggesting that the National Team Coach of Canada should be hanging out in an apartment in Mississauga?

“Morace insisted that she be granted total control over her staff and it was granted.”

Both you and your CSA official source have stated that “Currently, Morace must keep a manager on her staff that represents the CSA’s interests.”, so does she really have “total control over her staff” or not?

“There is only one Canadian on the staff – Andrea Neil – and she has been given no real responsibility”.

We know that Morace has several Canadian’s on her staff so this is incorrect.

“(Morace) was supposed to work with (Neil) and help develop her,” the source said. “She’s done nothing for her. She’s a token so if someone points to her and says ‘where’s the Canadian’ she can point to Andrea.”

Note that according to a CSA press release last fall “(Neil) recently completed her UEFA A License at prestigious Coverciano in Italy”. I would have to say that spending three years learning from Morace and getting her UEFA A license constitutes some fairly good development as a coach.

“The consensus in the CSA is that Morace has found another job opportunity and is aware that her demands are unreasonable”.

So according to your article and your CSA official the “unreasonable” demands that Morace have are:

1) Control of the budget. (“The only restriction that manager has placed on Morace is that she keep spending within the budget that has been set. Morace, demand(ed) that she be provided with total control”).

2) Control over her staff (“Morace insisted that she be granted total control over her staff”)

I do not find these demands “unreasonable”, in fact quite the contrary. Why wouldn’t a National Team Coach need to have control over these two aspects – it seems pretty logical.

You and your CSA official say that “if accepted, would have given Morace more power than any coach has ever had in Canada.”

Maybe the CSA has been going about it the wrong way if they have hired coaches/technical people from other countries and never granted them the complete power to control things like their own budget or staff.

“They are going to try and fix this,” a source said. “They are going to go to her and see if she will be reasonable. But they are prepared to let her walk if she won’t back down.”

Who are “they” and should we as the public be a little concerned that this is an example of the type of CSA official that could be “going to try and fix this” situation?

Maybe the reasons that Carolina Morace is leaving are due to the control issues that you and your “official” talk about and not due to the fact that “Morace has found another job opportunity”?

If CSA officials speak out in the misleading way that you have shown through your blog here- then what have her challenges been like behind the closed doors of the CSA?

[Pete K]

Duane,

You seem to be writing and providing some conflicting and misleading information to the Canadian soccer public regarding Carolina Morace.

According to you and your CSA official in your February 6th blog “Morace’s Demands” you say:

“Up to now, the only restriction that manager has placed on Morace is that she keep spending within the budget that has been set. Morace has balked at even that, demanding that she be provided with total control.”

Anybody in business knows that if a company puts you in charge of the budget then you need to have full control of the budget or else you cannot be held accountable for the results/goals as they pertain to the company. Remember, according to the CSA’s very own “S t r a t e g i c P l a n 2 0 0 9 – 2 0 1 3: A medal is to be achieved by the Senior Women’s National Team at the World Cup or Olympics”. I would say that Morace needing total control is important to achieving these goals.

As you and your CSA official have stated: “Currently, Morace must keep a manager on her staff that represents the CSA’s interests.” Why are the CSA’s interests any different than the interests of the Head Coach that they hired to win these medals?

“She doesn’t want to report to anyone,” a CSA official said.

Who is Morace supposed to report to and in what way according to the CSA?

“The CSA took a mostly hands off approach to the women’s program under Even Pellerud. With no controls on his spending he consistently was $300-$500,000 over budget”.

Who in the CSA needs to take responsibility for what happened pre-2009? Does Morace need take to responsibility for things that happened long before her time?

“And it’s not a small budget. Canada is likely the only country in the world that is currently spending more on its women’s program than it is on the men’s. CSN was told that the women receive about $500,000 more than the men, despite generating next to no sponsorship money. The entire men’s budget is funded from ticket sales, appearance fees and sponsorship deals”.

“The women are funded directly from the CSA membership as well as the Canadian Olympic program/Own the Podium. About $1.5 million comes from Olympic sources.”

So how can you and your CSA official state that the women generate “next to no sponsorship money” and then very closely follow this statement with “$1.5 million comes from Olympic sources?”

On every CSA women’s press release it ends with “Canada, whose title sponsor is Winners and presenting sponsor is Teck”. So are you saying that the sponsorship dollars generated by these two women’s sponsorships do not go to the women’s national team program? Also if 43% of the overall Provincial Association membership fees paid to the CSA originate from soccer playing females in Canada, then how many of these dollars actually go to the women’s national team?.

“It’s estimated that no more than five countries in the world have a larger budget for women’s football”.

Back to the Canadian Soccer Association’s very own “S t r a t e g i c P l a n 2 0 0 9 – 2 0 1 3: A medal achieved by the Senior Women’s National Team at the World Cup or Olympics” - IF this is the case then the women’s budget needs to be similar to the budgets of the top three countries in women’s football.

Just to put it in perspective - the 2007 USWNT Programming Budget in the last Women’s World Cup year was almost 5 million USD (not including coaching or management salaries or equipment), and in the 2008 Olympic year, the USWNT Budget was over 6 million USD (not including coaching or management salaries or equipment). The US Youth National Team Programs (boys and girls) budgets for 2007 & 2008 were between 6.5 and almost 9 million respectively.

“Additionally, the CSA has been willing to overlook a great deal of other things with Morace. When she was hired it was expected that she spend a significant amount of time in Canada working with young players and coaches to help build for the future. That hasn’t happened.”

I will speak from what I have seen and heard locally: Morace has been to the prairies on more than one occasion for the purposes of scouting NTC players and spending some face to face time with the NTC coaches. She has also scouted the U18 Club Nationals that took place in Edmonton and the senior women’s club championships that took place in Saskatoon.

Are you and your CSA official suggesting that this never occurred?

“She’s never here,” a Canadian soccer insider said. “An apartment in Mississauga was arranged for her when she took the job. I don’t think she’s ever been in it.”

Are you and your CSA official suggesting that the National Team Coach of Canada should be hanging out in an apartment in Mississauga?

“Morace insisted that she be granted total control over her staff and it was granted.”

Both you and your CSA official source have stated that “Currently, Morace must keep a manager on her staff that represents the CSA’s interests.”, so does she really have “total control over her staff” or not?

“There is only one Canadian on the staff – Andrea Neil – and she has been given no real responsibility”.

We know that Morace has several Canadian’s on her staff so this is incorrect.

“(Morace) was supposed to work with (Neil) and help develop her,” the source said. “She’s done nothing for her. She’s a token so if someone points to her and says ‘where’s the Canadian’ she can point to Andrea.”

Note that according to a CSA press release last fall “(Neil) recently completed her UEFA A License at prestigious Coverciano in Italy”. I would have to say that spending three years learning from Morace and getting her UEFA A license constitutes some fairly good development as a coach.

“The consensus in the CSA is that Morace has found another job opportunity and is aware that her demands are unreasonable”.

So according to your article and your CSA official the “unreasonable” demands that Morace have are:

1) Control of the budget. (“The only restriction that manager has placed on Morace is that she keep spending within the budget that has been set. Morace, demand(ed) that she be provided with total control”).

2) Control over her staff (“Morace insisted that she be granted total control over her staff”)

I do not find these demands “unreasonable”, in fact quite the contrary. Why wouldn’t a National Team Coach need to have control over these two aspects – it seems pretty logical.

You and your CSA official say that “if accepted, would have given Morace more power than any coach has ever had in Canada.”

Maybe the CSA has been going about it the wrong way if they have hired coaches/technical people from other countries and never granted them the complete power to control things like their own budget or staff.

“They are going to try and fix this,” a source said. “They are going to go to her and see if she will be reasonable. But they are prepared to let her walk if she won’t back down.”

Who are “they” and should we as the public be a little concerned that this is an example of the type of CSA official that could be “going to try and fix this” situation?

Maybe the reasons that Carolina Morace is leaving are due to the control issues that you and your “official” talk about and not due to the fact that “Morace has found another job opportunity”?

If CSA officials speak out in the misleading way that you have shown through your blog here- then what have her challenges been like behind the closed doors of the CSA?

Amen DougAB. Too bad Mr Rollins is spewing nonsense and confusing the discussion. But I guess the CSA and those that support them have never been much good at having anything of substance when push comes to shove.

[Vic]

Doug, take the guy's info or don't but do it intelligently. Psychoanalyzing every line is a little childish.

Ed Dick, that was well thought-out and I give you a lot of respect.

Rich: the CSA been sitting on their hands for since the Charmain Hooper revolts for appearance fees

Ed: I would think it should be possible for you to find out whether or not the men get performance fees. If they have been receiving them and the women not, it is a serious strike against the CSA.

Rich, those demands for appearance fees were from back before residency. I'll comment on that in a minute.

Ed: Hopefully you see that your comments regarding putting self interest ahead of the country wrt to acquiring the 2015 Women’s World Cup fall first upon the shoulders of the CSA. As the decision making body, they could have chosen to satisfy both Morace and the members of the women’s team in order to avoid any controversy before the bid was acquired. They chose not to.

Do you know that for a fact? Someone who knows a number of players asked me for advice a month ago on how they should handle themselves because a number do not have money because of the continual time commitment required by the coaching staff. My advice was approach the CSA and and tell them you are unhappy with the position you are being put in by the coaching staff and association and want to go public but don't want to threaten the hosting bid and would it be possible to receive some emergency funding until after March 4th when they would address it properly.

If they did that great, please let me know. If they didn't there is no excuse.

By arguing for a gag order to be imposed and your latest comments, you appear to want to hold the coach and players to greater account than you do the board. Why are you giving the CSA a pass?

People think I'm pro-CSA and anti-players. I'm neither. I'm pro-women's soccer. I think our women deserve a lot more respect and I've been one of the only one's carrying that flag here for a long time. What I'm not is uninformed about women' soccer or about to praise anyone who holds the future of the game here and the enjoyment of all Canadians hostage. No one is bigger than the game or above the law.

We've come a long way in the past 25 years and the women today have things a hundred times better thanks to the hard work and sacrifice of hundreds of people. Players, coaches, administrators, supporters like yourself Rich and decent people like you Ed getting informed and asking the right questions. And yes, a very long list of CSA employees and committee members too.

A couple of pages back a player's Dad complained his daughter didn't have a professional teacher's salary and rued the CSA for it. If there was a single country in the entire world that our women could earn that salary in they would all be overseas like our men banking for their retirement from the game. They're not. There is no market valuation like that for Canadian women soccer players. And according to the team there is also no better full-time development option than what they get here either. That's pretty relevant.

Our men are together for brief random periods. With full-time programs in World Cup and Olympic years our women are spending about 60% of the year together. We spend nothing developing our men. They're forced to leave the country and are on their own to professionalize themselves.

If our women wanted true gender equity and to be treated like our men with a couple of camps a year for a couple of days each, but receiving better compensation for those few days all they had to do was ask. The CSA could have saved a lot of money that could have been moved into women's soccer infrastructure development across the country.

You can't benefit from the low-cost economics of women's soccer long-term encampment and at the same time from the high-cost economics of men's professional soccer appearance fees. Pick your poison.

The right answer is all three parties (coaching staff, CSA, players) appreciating the position each are in and coming up a solution that works. You can blame the CSA but it's a three-way street in terms of appreciating position. Like I said earlier, most people around the world do that civily. It's a real shame it's got to this point and the only party you don't see throwing anyone under the bus (yet) is the CSA. That's pretty relevant.

The last three people who took a stand for their rights and tried to get a CBA via counsel, boycott and the SDRCC were burned at the stake as witches and banished from Canadian soccer - by the association AND the players. That's another pretty relevant piece of the puzzle too.

The guy I really feel sorry for is Peter Montopoli, who's sitting in FIFA offices trying to demonstrate why we're worthy while a bunch of people who relish in being lauded as great Canadians can't accomplish the basics of putting the country first.