TORONTO-
Canada Soccer gave way to growing criticism on Thursday, canceling a planned friendly against Iran and acknowledging that “we will strive to make it better by moving forward.”
The June 5 game in Vancouver was to be a showcase event, the first step forward for John Herdman’s popular team since a stellar World Cup qualifying race that saw the Canadians booked their ticket to the showcase of this sport for the first time since 1986.
Iran’s election as an opponent sparked a storm of fire with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart, Conservative MPs and B’nai Brith Canada among those who censored the game.
It is important that Canadian players also took part in the debate, with a player representative sending an email to a senior Canada Soccer official within 24 hours of the match being canceled. The message was that the team was worried about the opponent.
The question is whether Canada should host Iran given the Canadians who died on Ukraine International Flight 752 when it was shot down on January 8, 2020, minutes after taking off from Tehran, by a missile. Iranian land-air. The Canadian government says that among the 176 people killed were 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents.
On Thursday morning, Canada Soccer suspended the game with a one-paragraph statement. He explained his reason for doing so in a second release later that day.
“Canada Soccer has the best intentions to strive to ensure that the men’s team gains significant experience against FIFA World Cup teams in preparation for Qatar 2022,” the second statement said.
“Over the past week, the unsustainable geopolitical situation of hosting Iran became a significant divide and, in response, the party was canceled. Although we took external factors into account at the time. from selecting the optimal opponent in our original decision-making process, we will strive to do our best to move forward.
“Canada Soccer will conduct a thorough review of our international match-fixing processes to ensure that no stone is left unturned in our pursuit of excellence both on and off the field, including consultation. with all stakeholders, we are committed to creating respectful and inclusive environments for teams, players and fans. “
The governing body said it was working “diligently” on a substitute opponent by June 5th.
More than 40,000 tickets had been sold for the Iran party. Ticket holders will get a refund and will be offered a discount for the June 9 match against Curacao in Vancouver.
The Iranian team was due to arrive in Canada next Wednesday. Iran, 21st in the world, is also heading to the World Cup in Qatar in November.
Canada Soccer President Nick Bontis said Iran was chosen as an opponent because the team had a “similar style” to Morocco, which the Canadians will face in the World Cup.
“The issue of the geopolitical situation was raised, of course,” he said in an interview
But it may not be fully understood.
Bontis acknowledged that Canada Soccer, moving forward, can do better by being “a little more thorough in our political assessment of an opponent of the match.”
“But I just want to reiterate that we are a football organization,” he added. “And ultimately, the political side of the teams we choose to play against, these opinions are held by politicians, not football administrators.”
Trudeau said last week that the match “was not a good idea”, pointing the finger at Canada Soccer. The PS752 Flight Victims’ Family Association had called for Canada Soccer to “cancel the game immediately.”
The association’s spokesman, Hamed Esmaeilion, whose wife Parisa and little daughter Reera were among those killed on Flight 752, praised the news on Thursday as he said the game was never over. ‘I should have contemplated.
“I think the right decision has been made,” he said in an interview.
He thanked all those who had spoken or written letters to protest the Iran game. He said Canada Soccer had not responded to requests from his association, even before the match was officially announced.
Esmaeilion had noted that the Iranian team would be accompanied abroad by intelligence officers and members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), saying that the IRGC is “the same entity that overthrew PS752.”
On Thursday, he called on the federal government to place the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on a list of terrorist organizations.
“Then it makes it clear to everyone that any Revolutionary Guard-related organization in Iran is a big failure to sign a contract with them. If they show that justice and truth are taken seriously for families and victims, I think that would show the world what we think about the Islamic Republic of Iran. “
Conservative MPs spoke out against the party on Wednesday. And the prime minister said this week that it will depend on the Canada Border Services Agency whether Iran’s team can enter the country.
Ralph Goodale, Canada’s high commissioner to the UK, added his voice on Wednesday to the growing heart of disapproval.
“This behavior of Canada Soccer is disgusting. It calls into question both the competition and the values of the organization,” he tweeted.
In March 2020, Goodale became a special adviser to the Prime Minister “for Canada’s response to Iran’s downfall of Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752”.
CBC, citing comments from Iranian team director Hamed Estili to the Iranian state-affiliated media Tasnim, said the Iranian football federation was paying $ 400,000 to play the Vancouver game.
Match quotas are common in football with popular teams like Brazil able to get large amounts to play friendlies abroad. But when Canada Soccer noted an increase in support for Sport Canada and Own The Podium in its recently released 2021 annual report, the link between government funding and Iran’s payment for gambling offered more fodder to critics of party.
“In short, this match was insulting. I’m more than happy to know it was canceled because it was the right decision, “said Conservative MP Matt Jeneroux (Edmonton Riverbend).
Canada Soccer said it could not comment on its agreement with its Iranian counterpart, citing a confidentiality clause.
“However, what we can tell you is that no money has been paid in Iran,” Bontis said
B’nai Brith Canada, an independent Jewish organization dedicated to fighting racism, anti-Semitism and hatred, says this week it has filed an order in the Federal Court to ban Canadian funds from going to the Iranian Football Federation.
Iran’s match was to be the first of a two-match match in Vancouver. The 38th-ranked Canadians open the CONCACAF League of Nations A against Curacao on June 9 before closing the FIFA international window with another CONCACAF League of Nations match against Honduras in San Pedro Sula on June 13 June.
For Canada Soccer, the Iran contest was seen as a rare opportunity to test Canadian men against a team outside their CONCACAF confederation, which covers North and Central America and the Caribbean.
The Canadians have only played with two teams outside their region since John Herdman took over as coach in January 2018 – a 1-0 defeat to Iceland in January 2020 and a 1-0 win over New Zealand in March 2018.
Instead, the game turned into a political albatross, which tarnished the well-being of Canadian men in Qatar.
And with the World Cup approaching and a football schedule already congested, the warm-up matches are hard to squeeze. After June, there is only one more FIFA international window with Canada likely to play in Europe in September.
The June window opens on Monday, with players arriving from their clubs around the world.
Canada has not played at home since qualifying for the World Cup in a 4-0 win over Jamaica at BMO Field in Toronto on March 27th. The Canadian men last played at BC Place in March 2019 when they beat French Guiana 4-1 at CONCACAF. League of Nations classification.
The Canadians led the final round of the CONCACAF standings with an 8-2-4 record. His last match was a 1-0 defeat in Panama on March 30.
Canada has a historic 1-2-0 record against Iran, winning the last game 1-0 in April 2001 in Cairo. Iran won 1-0 in the 1997 and 1999 matches in Toronto and Edmonton, respectively.
Canada opens the World Cup match on November 23 against No. 2 Belgium before facing No. 16 Croatia on November 27 and No. 24 in Morocco on December 1.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on May 26, 2022.