Ole Jacobsen, past head of the Airdrie District Soccer Association just north of Calgary, has been acclaimed as the new president of the Alberta Soccer Association.
All four of the top positions on the ASA board were acclaimed at Saturday’s annual general meeting.
The voting block that backed Mario Charpentier in his overthrow of ex-ASA president Chris Billings – anchored by the Edmonton and Calgary Minor Soccer Association – did not run any candidates.
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Sources in Alberta say Charpentier is still hoping the Canadian Soccer Association will overthrow the results of January’s special general meeting, which resulted in Charpetier and six of his directors being summarily dismissed.
That hope was dimmed recently, when the CSA Appeals Committee refused to hear the case, stating that they “lack jurisdiction.”
Jacobsen is described as a reformer, who has pressed the ASA for governance change for years. This could mark a significant shift in the balance of power on the CSA board, where controversial “no” votes from Alberta scuttled two CSA reform proposals at the national soccer body’s most recent special general meeting.
Both Charpentier and Billings are now officially removed from the ASA board.
CSA director-at-large Mike Traficante – frequently named by Billings and his supporters as a key contributor to the ongoing Alberta soccer dispute – was present at the ASA meeting.
Onward!