By: Martin MacMahon
There's been a nasty rumour swirling around Twitter and Internet message boards since the 1-1 draw between the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Montreal Impact in the second leg of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship semi-finals on May 4th about an Impact player spitting on a Whitecaps fan following the club's elimination.
The Canadian Soccer Association has now charged Impact captain Nevio Pizzolitto with “committing an act that brings the game into disrepute,” under Rule 11 c (d) of the CSA Rules, Regulations and Administrative Guide in relation to that alleged incident, and the former Canadian international must attend a disciplinary hearing on June 27th.
The fan at the centre of the alleged incident, Whitecaps season ticketholder and Southsider Ashley Perry, spoke with Canadian Soccer News about what he claims happened following the match.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
“Pizzolitto spat right in my face. I'm not talking about a little bit of spit on my shirt. I have witnesses that can prove that there were fairly large pieces of spit that landed on my face, as disgusting as that sounds.”
Perry, an architecture student, says he was celebrating his team's victory and singing “Au Revoir” with other fans under the walkway to the dressing rooms. The song was directed at Impact players as they left the field following their elimination. By his own admission, Perry said the singing was “perhaps too sarcastic,” but stated that doesn't justify what he claims occurred.
“(Impact player) Zourab Tsiskaridze flipped us off, and nobody reacted. We were surprised that someone would do that. Pizzolitto was within say eight or 10 feet behind him,” Perry said. “He looked right at me, right in the eyes ... I didn't have time to move, and he spat in my face.”
Perry emphasized that he hasn't received an apology from Pizzolitto or the Montreal Impact for what he claims happened, and says that's all he's looking for.
“A really heartfelt public apology that someone hasn't written for the player,” Perry responded when asked what he would like to see happen. “I'm not out to ruin this guy's career. I'm out to see a bit of remorse. You think that a Canadian national team player, a club captain for a team that's about to join the MLS ... you just expect a lot more from a player like that.”
As for potential compensation, Perry said that wasn't his primary reason for following up on his complaint.
“I never think it's right for the victim to be going around indicating what they want out of something. I think that's up to the guilty party (to determine fair compensation). It would be a great starting point with a really heartfelt public apology on TV or something like that. I'm certainly going to be pretty ticked off if they send me an apology by e-mail.”
Pej Namshirin, another Whitecaps fan at that match, supports Perry's claims. He says he was standing approximately 10 metres away from Perry when the alleged incident occurred.
“I saw (Perry) get hit, and I just stood there in disbelief, as a lot of us did,” Namshirin stated. “Never did I, or anyone else think that a player was actually going to spit down onto somebody like that. I was pretty disgusted and thought that it was not very respectable from a professional athlete to behave that way. A couple of weeks later when (Perry) was looking for witnesses, I came forward. I don't think it's right and Pizzolitto should face up to it and get whatever consequences might be coming.”
Canadian Soccer News contacted the Canadian Soccer Association and the Montreal Impact about the alleged incident, but both organizations declined to comment before the disciplinary hearing takes place.
It's uncertain what sort of punishment Pizzolitto faces if the CSA finds him guilty of spitting on Perry as there is no description of a penalty for that offence within the CSA Rules, Regulations and Administrative Guide, but there is a rule relating to spitting on match officials which outlines a five-year suspension for first-time offenders.
Pizzolitto will travel to Edmonton for his hearing next week and Perry says he plans to attend.
__
Editors note: Canadian Soccer News has obtained the letter the Canadian Soccer Association has sent Mr. Perry in response to his claims.
You can read that document here
__
Martin MacMahon is a broadcast journalism student at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. He covers Vancouver Whitecaps FC for a number of soccer websites.
You can follow him on Twitter @martinmacmahon