It is … showtime!
The future of amateur soccer in Alberta will not necessarily be sealed or revealed in Edmonton on Friday morning.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
Apparently, though, tomorrow’s Special General Meeting of the unburied remains of the Alberta Soccer Association will NOT be chaired by anyone appointed by the Canadian Soccer Association – as was offered and insisted on in yesterday’s friendly, concerned letter from CSA president Dominique Maestracci to ASA place-holder Mario Charpentier.
Maestracci’s offer was not only naïve and partisan, it directly violated the judge’s order that forced this SGM in the first place.
(It was nice of Dr. Maestracci to out himself as a Charpentier enabler, though. It saves me having to complete a through, journalistic accusation of the man.)
So we’re going to have a concerned flock of soccer folk gathering in the lobby of the Coast Edmonton Plaza Hotel. There will be security guards on the SGM door, at least three CSA directors in the room, and a complex maze of procedural wrangling awaits all who make their way inside.
All in an attempt to clarify the validity of Charpentier’s administration, which deposed the elected president, Chris Billings, early in 2010.
I can’t tell you how things are going to go, but Canadian Soccer News will be watching closely from afar, and will be getting up-to-the-minute updates from what has become a fairly large – and prolific – roster of inside sources.
And Mario, We’d all love to hear from you, as well.
Yes, we’re clearly on opposite sides. But I am still willing to publish every (legal) word of any response you’d care to send me. You’ll find it’s a much more effective way of communicating than all these anonymous snipe-job comments your supporters keep posting on this site.
1) What are your plans for Alberta soccer if you are still heading up the ASA by nightfall Friday?
2) Why are you opposed to the CSA governance reform package drafted – and tentatively approved – last spring?
I assure you, sir: everyone involved in this regrettable dispute wants – and needs – to hear your answer to those questions.
For everyone else:
The hardest part, of course, is that none of this – right now – is about what’s best for young Albertans who like playing soccer. Local ambition (Charpentier) has blended with national fear of change (Maestracci, CSA director-at-large Mike Traficante) to create a dreadful bureaucratic logjam where good people and one beautiful game are being needlessly victimized.
The hope of these stories – and all that will follow – is to shine a light on the inner workings of those who stand accused – from multiple directions – of putting their own personal and political ambitions ahead of the good of the game.
Billings supporters write me detailed, passionate e-mails, filled with times, places, quotes and citations. To date, all I’ve heard from the other side is anonymous personal attacks on their opponents. I’m not saying that, in itself, proves anything. But if the issue of who the rightful head of the ASA were really that murky, long experience tells me the comments would come significantly closer to balancing out.
The best thing I can say, at this moment, is … hang in there.
Be good and true witnesses, and proud and dedicated servants of the game of soccer.
You are caught in the middle of a much bigger dispute – one that will ultimately determine who runs soccer in Canada, and how the future will unfold.
Whatever does – or doesn’t – happen in that Edmonton boardroom tomorrow, public scrutiny will be immediate, and intense. Canadian Soccer News will make sure the story gets told, and the word keeps spreading.
Keep talking, keep rallying, and let’s all just strive to be proud of ourselves when this long, annoying day is done.
Never forget how wonderful it is to watch young Canadians discover the sport of soccer – and realize the game will go on, regardless of Mario Charpentier, Mike Traficante, Chris Billings, Dominique Maestracci and anyone else on either side of this chronic, embarrassing dispute.
Let’s all go have a really good Friday.
Onward!