Minister of Sport Requests Audit, Funding Conditions For Canada Soccer

It was confirmed on Tuesday to the Canadian Press that Canada Soccer will have conditions if they want to keep their funding from the federal government.

This happened after months of testimonies with the Heritage Committee from both players and Canada Soccer executives. The players were furious and fed up with the way the federation was being handled.

It also comes after a mismanagement of a sexual abuse scandal and the mistreatment of players on the women’s national team, most notably Christine Sinclair, who was disrespected by an executive.

Late last night, Canada Soccer released a statement saying they have accepted all the conditions which were confirmed to CBC when the outlet broke the news.

The government will commission an independent audit of its finances dating from March 1st, 2017 to March 31st, 2023.

The federation will also have to undergo a governance review and accept outside advice from an external advisory group in order to keep its funding.

NDP MP leader Peter Julian, who is one of the MPs on the Committee, was quoted saying the mismanagement of Canada Soccer was worse than that at Hockey Canada.

Jason DeVos, who is currently the interim general secretary after Earl Cochrane resigned, said he welcomed the move from the government.

“While Canada Soccer has already taken steps to enhance our governance standards, we thank Minister St-Onge for her letter and for her collaborative approach in our efforts to further enhance our financial and operational transparency,” DeVos said in a release.

“We look forward to working together and alongside our partners at Sport Canada, the Canadian Olympic Committee, and Own The Podium to ensure the recommendations of the audit and the governance review are dealt with responsibly and swiftly.”

Both the audit and the governance review will happen simultaneously, as confirmed Canada Soccer in the statement.

Sport Canada, The Canadian Olympic Committee, and Own the Podium are currently working on the creation of an external advisory board group for the recommendations of the audit and governance review.

It will also include operational and financial transparency and how the information is being shared with the athletes.

Header Image Photo Credit: John Jacques