If nothing else, the current courtship turned love triangle between Queretaro, Camilo, and the Whitecaps has certainly provided for a distraction that has taken the focus off the controversial coaching change in Vancouver.
Several days ago reports starting surfacing that Queretaro were about to make an offer for Camilo. No problem, most thought. We’ve seen this before. After Camilo’s successful 2011 season, there were rumours of a rich Kuwaiti team swooping in to dole out the dosh for the Brazilian. And then earlier in the off season, after a career year, Camilo was rumoured to be courted by Rosenborg in Norway. What do you expect after 39 goals and 16 assists in 92 appearances?
Now, however, reports out of Queretaro are much more concerning for local fans of Camilo. Suggestions are not that the Mexican club is interested. Not even that they’ve made an offer to the Whitecaps. Rather that Camilo’s agent has informed them he’s a free agent, and even today, that Camilo has flown down to take a physical and sign with the club (as per ESPN's Rene Rodriguez on <a href="
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The Whitecaps have refuted these rumours by stating that the Whitecaps retain Camilo’s rights after exercising a contract option for 2014, and that no contact has been made with the Mexican club. It would be understandable if fans were reluctant to believe the Whitecaps stance after the way they handled Barry Robson’s departure.
In this instance we have some history to draw upon to shed light on the situation.
In the offseason following his successful 2011 season, Camilo took to twitter and made several tweets regarding his contract, indicating he was considering his future and that he wanted to be recognized for his worth to the club. Camilo was rewarded by getting a raise from $134,000 to $250,000.
Camilo also earned something else. Job security. You see, in the professional athletes world, the best contracts are a balance between getting as much money as possible, and getting as long a term as possible. So, after his 2011 year, he felt he wanted to cash in. And he did. He received a reported 2 year plus 2 one-year club option deal that nearly doubled his salary.
The thing is, the Whitecaps didn’t <i>have</i> to resign him at the time. He was still under contract. Recognizing his good season, and responding to his public dissatisfaction, they took a risk on Camilo by signing him to a much larger, and longer contract.
Now, two years later, while still on that contract that the Whitecaps renegotiated in Camilo’s favour, it appears Camilo is again unhappy, as there has been a week long flirtation with Mexican club Queretaro.
At this point, the truth is far from being clear, but reports out of Mexico are that Queretaro were informed by Camilo’s agent that he’s a free agent. Other rumours state that Camilo’s camp refused the contract option for the upcoming season. The Whitecaps remain steadfast in claiming that the contract is <a href=" http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/story.html?id=9345835" target="_blank"><u><i>"bulletproof"</i></u></a> and that there is no truth to the Camilo to Queretaro deal because it’s a club option which they’ve exercised and they expect him in training camp at the end of the month.
One thing has become clear to me. It’s that Camilo is a pure, unabashed mercenary. He’s made public statements about loving Vancouver because of its safety, and loving the fans, and loving the country, and considering taking up citizenship to play for the Canadian Mens National Team, but it appears that Camilo’s only concern is Camilo.
Truthfully, there’s nothing wrong with that. A professional athlete has very few prime years to make money, and it’s hard to blame someone for considering their own family’s needs before the needs of their employer and it’s fans.
Knowing that though, Vancouverites need to brace themselves for the day when Camilo departs for a club who’s willing to up the ante. It could be Queretaro, or it could be some other club somewhere down the road. Maybe Camilo sees out his contract and doesn’t resign, and he accepts a deal bigger than the Whitecaps offer.
I wouldn’t blame him for it, but don’t let his claims about loving Vancouver and wanting to don the red maple leaf skew your opinion. Camilo is not YP Lee. Camilo is not here for the lifestyle, or the mountains. He’s not here for his kids, or his safety. Camilo is here because it’s better than where he was. And if he finds somewhere better, he’ll go there. And that’s entirely understandable.
There is one more angle to this whole story. Because I’m acting on the assumption that the Whitecaps are telling the truth.
You know, I get the public relations game. I understand that when they were buying out Barry Robson, Martin Rennie HAD to say something on the first day of training. And it’s not his place to break the news. Plus, he didn’t really say anything firm. He made vague comments about generic situations.
This time, however, the Whitecaps have been very clear. There has been no contact. The contract is bulletproof.
If Camilo does sign with Queretaro, and the Whitecaps were a party to it, they’re about to look about as bad is at gets. Not only did they lie to their fans about their most successful player, but they would have dispatched another in an ever growing list of fan favourites to depart the club under less than favourable circumstances.
Favourites like Terry Dunfield, Mouloud Akloul, and Wes Knight were shipped out for nothing in return. Eric Hassli was traded, and while his contributions to football since have been rather insignificant, his trade could be considered a win. He was certainly a fan favourite when he left. Davide Chiumiento was sold just before the Hassli trade. Not a day goes by that a fan somewhere doesn’t utter Dede’s name, and while it’s likely the memory of Dede is far better than the actual player, the Whitecaps have yet to replace the creative force. And then earlier this season, the omnipresent Alain Rochat was traded to DC United in a surprise move weeks before his wife was due to give birth, only to be sold to Switzerland for a sizeable transfer fee.
Selling Camilo, at any cost, would be a huge public relations loss for the Whitecaps as it would be just another name is a long list of fan favourites sent packing.
The only way this offseason story ends with a happy ending is if Camilo shows up on the first day of training, the Whitecaps make him honour his contract, and the Brazilian scores another bundle of goals.
If the Whitecaps were party to a sale, they’ll look foolish, dishonest and naive. If Camilo or his agent did this on their own accord, they’ll look like heartless mercenaries who are willing to lie and cheat to earn some more money.
There’s likely much more to this story, but every day that goes by it seems less and less likely to end up the fairy tale that Whitecaps fans fancy.
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