While the recently-released final report from the hilariously-named CONCACAF Integrity Committee spells out a litany of serious accusations against former president Jack Warner, including fraud and misappropriation of funds, some Canadian soccer fans have reacted with shock to the omission from the 144-page document of one alleged incident of major malfeasance .
The semifinal of the 2007 Gold Cup.
Some of the more ardent Canadian soccer supporters have long held that the outcome of the match -- in which Atiba Hutchinson was denied a seemingly legitimate injury-time goal that would have sent the match to extra time -- was due to machinations by Warner and the CONCACAF empire, intent as they were on seeing yet another tournament final between the U.S.A. and Mexico.
Yet the complete lack of reference to the match in the exhaustive report -- compiled on the basis of dozens of interviews and terabytes worth of digital evidence -- has left some disenchanted Canadian soccer fans facing the grim realization that perhaps the result was not part of a grand continental conspiracy, but rather a split-second decision made by an exhausted dude from Suriname with a flag in his hand.
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While some long-suffering Canadian fans seem willing to forgive and forget, others still aren't convinced, as evidenced by the range of responses solicited by The Reserve Squad.
"Well, I live about 1,400 kilometres away from Chicago (where the game was played), so I didn't really have an ideal view," said Jon, from Winnipeg. "But what isn't very far away is the start of the 2013 Canadian Championship, so everyone should enter my fifth annual Voyageurs Cup pool!"
"That game made me so angry... I still have a restraining order against me from (match official) Benito Archundia," said Fred, from Montreal. "It was my first of many restraining orders relating to soccer, so I am still proud of that."
"It's not Jack Warner that I'm so worried about," said Jeff, from Saskatoon. "I'm more worried about Chuck Blazer. What the hell is he up to these days? You seen his blog? Man, I'd love to party it up with that guy!"
One poster on the Voyageurs message board provided a long and detailed explanation of the ways in which the result, while not necessarily orchestrated by Warner, was symbolic of the systematic favouritism of the continental governing body. The Reserve Squad asked if his message could be re-printed, but was told we would be sued if we did so, or even mentioned his online handle without permission.
Another person, who also requested anonymity, suggested that Warner's refusal to provide evidence or give an interview to the Integrity Committee was proof that he was still hiding deeper truths about the nature of the 2007 Gold Cup semi-final. The person, whose T-shirt read "9/11 was an inside job", abruptly ended an interview with The Reserve Squad and ran inside upon seeing a plane overhead that was discharging contrails.
While the 2007 Gold Cup semifinal is still a touchy issue in Canadian soccer circles, Warner's legacy as a reviled figure remains entirely intact, The Reserve Squad can safely conclude.
But with Warner having resigned from CONCACAF and his position within the government of Trinidad & Tobago -- and with ever-increasing scrutiny on his dealings during his time within the region's governing body of soccer -- perhaps Canadian fans can finally develop a sense of closure about the era.
Indeed, new CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb has explicitly said the organization will consider hosting future Gold Cups in Canada, Mexico and beyond, in addition to a number of other reforms. That will come as a relief to those accustomed to the Warner/Blazer years, characterized by allegations of misdirected funds, secret accounts and general mischief went it comes to money.
As one Canadian fan told The Reserve Squad, "When your best hope for salvation after years of financial chicanery is a guy from the Cayman Islands, you know things were really screwed up."
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