On Wednesday, Canadian Soccer News uncovered documents that showed that MLSE has withheld $442,300 in payment to the Canadian Soccer Association after the organization failed to meet requirements set out in the original agreement to build BMO Field. When BMO Field was approved for construction it was originally intended to play host to a minimum of six national team games a year, or games hosted by the CSA. A number that should have certainly stood out as large given that the CSA wasn't close to playing that number of games during that time. In 2006, they played five international matches. The one home game of those five was against Jamaica - a return agreement after Canada had played away to them earlier that year.
Last night, Marc Tougas, a french journalist with the Canadian Press picked up the story and shared a conversation he had with former CSA president Dominic Maestracci about how the deal came about.
Tougas, has graciously translated some of what he reported into English so we can share it with our readers today. You can follow him on Twitter here.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
For some this will be an old story. But given the new light to this affair, the allegations by former president Maestracci obviously bare new meaning. A source within the CSA confirmed for CSN today that Maestracci's recollection of the events was "more or less accurate" and that the CSA was, in part, caught unaware of the deal.
For those who don't remember the Kevan Pipe departure from the CSA, it was rather unceremonious exit for the COO of the CSA. Both sides tossed mud. The CSA claiming he acted unilaterally and not in the best interest of the organization. Pipe claiming he was being unjustly dismissed.
When Pipe left in 2006 though, he formed a soccer consulting business and almost immediately found work. The first gig for Kevan Pipe Football Consulting was at GolTV - at the time, an independent channel, now owned by MLSE. Pipe would also begin working with FieldTurf, the Montreal company that would outfit BMO Field with the artificial field that it used up until 2009.
Pipe's connection with MLSE extends further. Pipe consulted for Insight Sports, a company in which Larry Tanenbaum, chairman of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd., had invested.
So, within a year of his departure from the CSA, Pipe was working for three MLSE connected enterprises.
CSN has reached out to Kevan Pipe for comment and will publish it if a response is received.