TORONTO –
Canadian football gave way to growing criticism on Thursday, canceling a planned friendly against Iran and acknowledging that “we will strive to make better progress”.
The match on June 5 in Vancouver was to be a demonstration event, the first step forward for the popular country of John Herdman after a stellar World Cup qualifier in which the Canadians booked their ticket to the sports showcase for the first time since 1986.
Instead, Iran’s choice as an opponent sparked a fiery storm with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart, Conservative MPs and B’nai Brith Canada among those who condemned the game.
Significantly, the Canadian players were also part of the debate, with a player’s representative sending an email to a senior Canada Soccer official 24 hours before the match was canceled. The message was that the team has concerns about the opponent.
The question is whether Canada should host Iran, given the Canadians who died on Ukraine’s International Airlines Flight 752 when it was shot down on January 8, 2020, minutes after taking off from Tehran by an Iranian surface-to-air missile. . The Canadian government says 55 Canadians and 30 permanent residents are among the 176 killed.
On Thursday morning, Canada Soccer ended the match with a statement in one paragraph. He set out the reason for this in a second edition later in the day.
“Canada Soccer has the best intentions in its efforts to ensure that the men’s national team gains significant experience against FIFA World Cup teams in preparation for Qatar 2022,” the second statement said.
“Over the past week, the precarious geopolitical situation with the host of Iran caused a significant division and in response the match was canceled. Although we have considered external factors in choosing the optimal opponent in our initial decision-making process, we will strive to move forward better.
“Canada Soccer will conduct an in-depth review of our processes for hosting international matches to ensure that there is no breaking stone in our pursuit of excellence both on and off the field, including consultation with all stakeholders. We are committed to creating a respectful and inclusive environment for teams, players and fans. ”
The governing body said it was working “diligently” on a replacement opponent for June 5th.
More than 40,000 tickets were sold for the match with Iran. Ticket holders will receive a refund and will be offered a discount for the June 9 match against Curacao in Vancouver.
The Iranian team was scheduled to arrive in Canada next Wednesday. Iran, which ranks 21st in the world, is also heading to the World Cup in Qatar in November.
Canadian football president Nick Bontis said Iran was chosen as a rival because the team has a “similar style” to Morocco, a team that the Canadians will face at the World Cup.
“The issue of the geopolitical situation, of course, has been addressed,” he said in an interview
But it may not be fully understood.
Bontis acknowledged that Canada Soccer, moving forward, could do better by being “a little more comprehensive in our political assessment of a rival in the match”.
“But I just want to reiterate that we are a football organization,” he added. “And ultimately the political side of the teams we choose to play against, those views are held by politicians, not football administrators.”
Last week, Trudeau said the game was “not a very good idea”, pointing to Canada Soccer. The Association of Families of Victims of PS752 has called on Canada Soccer to “cancel the game immediately”.
Association spokesman Hamed Esmailion, whose wife Paris and young daughter Riera were among those killed on Flight 752, welcomed Thursday’s news, saying the game should never have been considered.
“I think the right decision has been made,” he said in an interview.
He thanked all those who spoke out or wrote letters in protest of the game with Iran. He said Canada Soccer did not respond to his association’s requests even before the match was officially announced.
Esmail said the Iranian team would be accompanied abroad by intelligence officers and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), saying the IRGC was “the same entity that shot down PS752”.
On Thursday, he called on the federal government to include the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in its list of terrorist organizations.
“Then it became clear to everyone that any organization associated with the Revolutionary Guards in Iran is big not to sign a contract with them. If they show that they are serious about justice and the truth about families and victims, I think that will show the world what we think of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Conservative lawmakers voted against the game on Wednesday. And the prime minister said this week that it would be up to the Canadian Border Services Agency to allow the Iranian team into the country.
Ralph Goodale, Canada’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, added his voice Wednesday to a rising chorus of disapproval.
“This behavior by Canada Soccer is disgusting. This calls into question both the competence and the values of the organization, “he tweeted.
In March 2020, Goodale became a special adviser to the Prime Minister “on Canada’s response to Iran’s downing of Ukraine’s PS752 flight”.
The CBC, citing comments by Iranian team director Hamed Estili to Iranian state media Tasnim, said the Iranian Football Federation was receiving $ 400,000 to play the Vancouver match.
Fees for matches are common in football with popular teams such as Brazil, which can command huge sums to play friendly matches abroad. But as Canada Soccer notes increased support from Sport Canada and Own The Podium in a recently published annual report for 2021, the link between government funding and Iran’s pay to play offers more food for critics of the match.
“Simply put, this match was offensive. I am very relieved to hear that it has been repealed, because in the end it was the right decision, “said Conservative MP Matt Generou (Edmonton Riverband).
Canada Soccer said it could not comment on its agreement with its Iranian counterpart, citing a confidentiality clause.
“Despite what we can tell you, it does not appear that the money was paid to Iran,” Bontis said.
B’nai Brith Canada, an independent Jewish organization dedicated to fighting racism, anti-Semitism and hatred, said it had filed a lawsuit with the Federal Court this week to ban Canadian funds from going to the Iranian Football Federation.
The match with Iran was to be the first of the duel matches in Vancouver. The 38th-ranked Canadian men open the CONCACAF League A of the Nations, playing there against Curacao on June 9, before closing FIFA’s international window with another CONCACAF League of Nations match against Honduras in San Pedro Sula on June 13.
For Canada Soccer, the competition in Iran is seen as a rare opportunity to test Canadian men against a team outside their confederation, CONCACAF, which covers North and Central America and the Caribbean.
The Canadians have played with only two teams outside their region since John Herdman took over as coach in January 2018: a 1-0 loss to Iceland in January 2020 and a 1-0 victory over New Zealand in March 2018.
Instead, the game became a political albatross, tarnishing Canadians’ path to Qatar.
And with the outline of the World Cup and the already busy football schedule, the warm-up matches are difficult to enter. After June, there is only one more international window of FIFA with Canada, which will probably play in Europe in September.
The window opens in June on Monday, with players arriving from their clubs around the world.
Canada did not play at home in the World Cup qualifiers in a 4-0 victory over Jamaica at BMO Field in Toronto on March 27. The Canadian men last played at the BBC Place in March 2019, when they beat French Guiana 4-1 in the CONCACAF League of Nations Qualifiers.
The Canadians led the last round of the CONCACAF qualifiers with a record 8-2-4. Their last match was a 1-0 loss to Panama on March 30th.
Canada has a 1-2-0 record of all time against Iran, winning its last 1-0 match in April 2001 in Cairo. Iran won 1-0 in the 1997 and 1999 matches in Toronto and Edmonton, respectively.
Canada opens the World Cup match on November 23 against No. 2 Belgium, before facing Croatia No. 16 on November 27 and Morocco No. 24 on December 1.
This Canadian Press report was first published on May 26, 2022.
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