A crucial election year is under way at the Canadian Soccer Association.
A new, reformed board will be elected on May 5. The power of individual provinces will be sharply reduced, outside experts will be recruited to sit on the board, and a leaner, more focused, less personally political governing body should emerge.
And behind the scenes, the jockeying for position has begun.
Though no one has yet formally declared candidacy, Canadian Soccer News can report there are currently three significant potential candidates for the position of CSA president. They are the two current vice-presidents, Victor Montagliani and Rob Newman, and the sitting president, Dominic Maestracci.
It should be noted that literally anyone can run for CSA president. I can. You can. The guy who mends holes in goal nets in Kitsilano can.
But, practically, this is an inside job, and it’s going to go to an inside man.
So let’s meet the unannounced candidates:
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Victor Montagliani:
Truly, this is a man of contrast. Impatient for more change, yet patient enough to understand the process. Eager to do more, yet committed to do what is possible within his present, more limited role.
Business background, solid soccer credentials, he’s always been sharp-focused when we’ve chatted. Capable of very colourful language, but it’s been interesting to see that tendency decline as election year has approached.
Montagliani – from British Columbia – was well-positioned to make a run for the presidency last time around, but a deeply unfortunate family tragedy took him out of the running.
Now, with the reform package set to be implemented, he seems the clear favourite to be the man at the helm when the new era of Canadian soccer governance commences.
Montagliani frequently get lumped in with the “Old Boys Network,” an assessment which, frankly, falls wide of the mark. Yes, he’s been in the game a long, long time. But his soccer ambitions are much more for the game, as opposed to for himself.
He’s tough, blunt and focused, but also has a practiced eye for politics – and a better understanding than most at Metcalfe Street of how to navigate the strange, treacherous global politics of FIFA.
Rob Newman:
A quiet man with a much lower profile than Montagliani, Newman turned a lot of heads – and won significant praise – as head of the CSA governance committee that concocted and ushered in the present round of reforms.
The most stunning aspects of that project was how far it proposed to go, and how quickly it got there. Most seasoned CSA watchers would have told you, two years ago, that if anything like this was even remotely possible in the first place, it would take at least a decade to get done.
Overnight, CSA reform went from a glacier to an avalanche, and quite a number of the Old Boys still don’t seem entirely certain what has actually occurred.
Within the CSA, the Saskatchewan native is praised for his organization and clarity. The man can run a meeting, and get things done at the bureaucratic level.
The concern – raised from multiple directions – is that he may not be a “soccer guy.”
That’s a bit of a vague charge, admittedly. I, myself, was a “lacrosse guy” for the first seven years I wrote about soccer for Sportsnet.
What it seems to mean, here, is there are key people who feel Newman’s grasp for the actual game on the field pales, somewhat, against his abilities in the backroom. That, while a strong, effective administrator is a boon at the board table, the next CSA president will be battling as much to keep up with sweeping changes in the sport that are no longer being dictated by the CSA.
I’m at an acknowledged disadvantage here, in that I have not yet spoken with Newman directly. Multiple interview requests have been made, but immediate hope of a more detailed article on the man has been lost in the current ill-advised media freeze-out on all governance issues.
The invitation is open, sir. I’m happy to talk with you any time.
Dominique Maestracci:
The third possible entrant in the presidential race – the current CSA president – deserves a column of his own. So that’s what’s coming next.
Onward!