Fifa ethics committee investigating sexual misconduct claims in Canadian soccer - 4 minutes read




A Fifa spokesperson told the Guardian that the investigation is only concerned with the actions of the two coaches but according to multiple sources familiar with the proceedings, the scope of the investigation also includes how Canada Soccer and the Vancouver Whitecaps responded to reports from multiple players about the behavior of the two coaches over a number of years.

Birarda, the head coach of Canada’s U20 women’s team in 2008, pled guilty in February to one count of sexual exploitation and three counts of sexual assault related to his time as a coach in Vancouver and while coaching national youth teams and the Whitecaps women’s team. Busby was suspended from his role as head coach of the Jamaica women’s national team last year after a report by the Guardian alleged he sexually harassed a player when he was in charge of the Vancouver Whitecaps women’s team in 2010 and 2011.

However at the time of the Birarda incident, Canada Soccer did have in place a Harassment and Prevention Committee, according to a handout given to attendees of a meeting of the organization in 2008. A listed member of the Harassment and Prevention Committee confirmed to the Guardian the group did exist at the time. They did not want to speak on the record because they could not locate any documents relating to an investigation into Birarda.

The Canada Soccer executive committee then needed to confirm the disciplinary recommendations and place a copy of the report in the personnel file of the individual. But neither Birarda nor Busby received disciplinary action after reports were made about their behavior. They were released from their roles for undisclosed reasons and both continued to coach girls and women elsewhere in Canada and the United States.

In an emailed statement, Canada Soccer claimed Birarda’s B License expired in 2011 yet the Canada Soccer Coach Licensing Program Status Check, updated in March 2017 that includes 2016 graduates of the program, lists Birada as a 2006 B License recipient. A license is considered an imperative for any professional coach to hold especially when working with elite level teams in youth or adult soccer. The Canada Soccer Status Check, described as “updated quarterly”, states its purpose is “to verify the certification of all coaches” and to locate “licensed coaches who may be interested in working with your organization”.

Asked to comment on the current Fifa investigation and how Canada Soccer responded at the time, Montopoli said when reached by phone: “I don’t know anything about that and I’m not in a position to speak about that right now, thank you”. Montopoli, currently chief operating officer of Fifa World Cup 2026 Canada, then terminated the call. He did not respond to further requests for comment.

Last year, the statement issued by Concacaf said that: “The Board was in late summer 2008 informed by the CSA General Secretariat of the allegations regarding the inappropriate text messages. The Board, including Mr Montagliani, took these allegations seriously and unanimously approved the appointment of an independent Ombudswoman to investigate the matter. Following that independent investigation, the Board was provided with a summary of the Ombudswoman’s findings, which included confirmation that inappropriate language was included in text messages. All Board members subsequently approved a recommendation to terminate the coach’s employment. Mr Montagliani believes that he and his fellow Board members at the time followed the appropriate steps to support the CSA with this very serious matter.”

“I asked for the Anne Chopra review and that was when I learned that it was not in writing, that it had been delivered verbally, and there was no recollection [of an investigation] other than the fact that [the board] was not responsible and that Birarda at the time of the report was essentially not responsible for any actions pertaining to sexual assault ot sexual harassment.”

Source: The Guardian

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