Author’s note: Within an hour of Mario Charpentier’s dismissal from the board of the Alberta Soccer Association, Chris Billings – the ASA president Charpentier deposed – spoke exclusively to Canadian Soccer News:
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I want to know your thoughts, as this has happened today.
Well, I think this is about what the membership wants, and it has been from the get-go. In January, 2009, the membership voted to change the leadership with my election, and the election of other individuals. Of course, at last January’s AGM, they [the Charpentier group] re-organized themselves and came back to take control of the organization. Thirty days later, of course, their intentions became known. And since then, the members have stood up and had their voices heard, and It’s been a very long process.
This isn’t about me. They tried to make it about me as much as they possibly could. So I think the members have spoken loud and clear today, and the vote was over two-thirds to remove Mr. Charpentier, and a lot more than that for the other six individuals.
The practical day-to-day questions that remain now: Who is the head of the Alberta Soccer Association? How does this board function? And who shows up to represent Alberta at the CSA SGM in two weeks?
That’s going to be a question for the membership to determine. I honestly can’t tell you what will happen. I don’t know if they will want to include me in those discussions. That’s up to the membership, and I will leave it in their capable hands. I think over the course of the next week, there will be some correspondence from the CSA executive committee. It’s quite clear that four of their seven members have a tight grip on that committee – voting together as a block. Whether they have the best intentions of the whole board, they represent the whole board. It’s something the CSA as a whole will have to take a look at.
I think, from the letter that Mr. Maestracci put out, it’s somewhat clear as to what position they’re going to take. Whether or not they’re going to try to go against the court of Alberta is quite another matter. Time is going to tell us.
Would you ever want to be involved in this again, or has this been quite enough, thank you very much?
It’s been a lot. There are people who have posted on your website: “Why didn’t Billings just resign in the first place?”
I did nothing wrong. The allegations that I’m aware of – the misappropriation of funds – it’s completely ludicrous. They make these vague allegations that I harassed people and harassed office staff, and they won’t define those allegations. For my own integrity, I just simply could not accept being put on a railroad so many others have ridden before me. There are many individuals in Alberta who have been driven out of politics by Mario Charpentier, Mike Traficante, Fred Kern and Colin Innes. I said to myself that I’m simply going to stand up, and tell people that what’s being done is not right.
Now after all this is said and done, it’s been extremely stressful on me and my family. I don’t know what the future holds for me. Dominique Maestracci and Victor Montagliani have me on an island, and I’m pretty sure I won’t be allowed into another CSA AGM while they’re in charge. Whether or not the people of Alberta want me to continue to govern is up to them. I don’t know what my future holds. But I haven’t walked away from them, and I’m not walking away from them yet.