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Canada Soccer president Nick Bontis steps down in move to expedite labour peace – CBC Sports

Published

2 years ago

February 27, 2023

Nick Bontis has resigned as president of Canada Soccer, acknowledging change is needed to achieve labour peace with the Canadian men’s and women’s teams.

The move comes in the wake of a letter from provincial and territorial soccer leaders asking Bontis to step down given the bitter labour dispute. Bontis resigned during a board meeting Monday, Canada Soccer said.

“Canada Soccer and both of our national team programs have the real potential to sign a historic collective bargaining agreement,” Bontis said in a statement Monday. “Once signed, it will be a landmark deal that will set our nation apart from virtually every other FIFA member association.

“While I have been one of the biggest proponents of equalizing the competitive performance environment for our women’s national team, I will unfortunately not be leading this organization when it happens. I acknowledge that this moment requires change.”

Both national teams have called for a change in leadership.

WATCH | Soccer reporter Meg Linehan breaks down Canadian women’s team protest:

Moment of solidarity at 2023 SheBelieves Cup, but what comes next?

10 days ago

Duration 5:43

CBC Sports’ Devin Heroux sits down with The Athletic’s Meg Linehan to break down the Canadian women’s national team’s protest at the 2023 SheBelieves Cup and what might come next.

Earlier this month, the Canadian men asked for Sport Minister Pascale St-Onge to remove the Canada Soccer leadership If it is “not willing to take immediate action to respond to the players’ demands and concerns.”

Added the Canadian women: “If Canada Soccer is not willing or able to support our team, new leadership should be found.”

Bontis was a lightning rod in the labour impasse, moving front and centre when he told a news conference last summer that Canada Soccer wanted a “facts-based discussion within the fiscal reality that Canada Soccer has to live with every day.”

Bontis, who was an advocate of pay equity, said then that the Canadian men’s proposal was “untenable.”

Bontis was also a proponent of Canada Soccer’s controversial deal with Canadian Soccer Business, calling it “pivotal in building soccer and growing the game in this country.”

Ongoing labour impasse

The Canadian men and women have demanded Canada Soccer open its books, including its agreement with Canadian Soccer Business which looks after sponsorship and broadcast deals for the national teams among others. CSB pays Canada Soccer a set amount each year and keeps the rest, which helps fund the Canadian Premier League.

The women want the same backing ahead of this summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand as the men did before Qatar. The two teams also want an explanation for why their programs are being cut in 2023,

The labour impasse prompted the Canadian men to boycott a planned friendly against Panama in Vancouver last June. The Canadian women downed tools before the recent SheBelieves Cup, returning to the pitch under protest after Canada Soccer threatened legal action.

Bontis, who was elected president in November 2020 succeeding Steven Reed, said his resignation is effective immediately.

“Serving as a volunteer for this organization, and witnessing the tremendous achievements we’ve been able to accomplish together, has been some of the proudest moments of my life,” he said. “Olympic success for our women’s national team. Genuine diversity on our board of directors, including our first ever female vice-president. Our first men’s FIFA World Cup goal at Qatar 2022. Winning the bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup at home.

“I know in my heart that there is more to come.”

Away from Canada Soccer, Bontis is chair of strategic management at McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business.

Bontis has been a member of Canada Soccer’s board of directors since 2012, serving in several different roles including vice-president and chair of the strategic management committee.

Bontis was said to be in transit Monday from Guatemala where he was named CONCACAF Council vice-president (North America) on Saturday at the 38th CONCACAF Ordinary Congress.

Bontis’ decision to leave his Canada Soccer post does not affect the CONCACAF position. A CONCACAF spokesman said the jobs are not linked and Bontis remains on the council.

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Red Wings sign Raymond to 8-year, $64.6 million contract

Published

4 hours ago

September 16, 2024

Anne Joseph

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings signed forward Lucas Raymond to an eight-year, $64.6 million contract Monday, completing a deal with one of their best young players less than 72 hours before training camp begins.

Raymond will count $8.075 million against the salary cap through 2032. The 22-year-old was a restricted free agent without a contract for the upcoming NHL season and was coming off setting career highs with 31 goals, 41 assists and 72 points.

The Red Wings have another one of those in defenceman Moritz Seider, who won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2021-22.

Detroit is looking to end an eight-year playoff drought dating to the Original Six franchise’s last appearance in 2016.

Raymond, a Swede who was the fourth pick in 2020, has 174 points in 238 games since breaking into the league.

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Cousins caps winning drive with TD pass to London as Falcons rally past Eagles 22-21

Published

4 hours ago

September 16, 2024

Anne Joseph

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kirk Cousins led a flawless last-minute drive for Atlanta and connected with Drake London for a 7-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left to give the Falcons a 22-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.

Saquon Barkley dropped a short pass that stopped the clock with 1:46 left and forced the Eagles to settle for a field goal instead of a game-sealing first down. That was plenty of time for Cousins — especially against an Eagles defense playing soft coverage with a nonexistent pass rush.

The 36-year-old veteran, playing his second game since tearing his Achilles tendon last Oct. 29 while playing for Minnesota, shook off an uneven effort and hit Darnell Mooney for 21 and 26 yards on consecutive plays during the decisive drive.

Cousins found London on a short pass to his right for the tying score, and Younghoe Koo put Atlanta (1-1) on top with a 48-yard extra point after London was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The go-ahead drive took just 65 seconds.

Jalen Hurts had his final pass intercepted by Jessie Bates III to seal Atlanta’s win and set off a wild celebration on the sideline.

The Eagles (1-1) went ahead on Hurts’ 1-yard tush push score with 6:47 left. Barkley finished with 95 yards on 22 carries in his home debut for Philadelphia, but his drop provided the Falcons with some hope.

And then Cousins started playing like the QB Atlanta thought it was getting when it signed him to a four-year, $180 million contract.

Cousins finished 20 of 29 for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Atlanta’s first TD was a 41-yarder from Cousins to Mooney, who finished with three catches for 88 yards.

Hurts was 23 of 30 for 183 yards, including a touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith. With No. 1 receiver A.J. Brown out with a hamstring injury, Smith led the Eagles with seven catches for 76 yards and a score.

Jake Elliott kicked two field goals for the Eagles. His 28-yarder with 1:39 left made it 21-15.

Atlanta kept stalling in the red zone, getting three field goals from Koo, before Cousins fired over the middle to Mooney, who shook loose from C.J. Gardner-Johnson and left him on the turf before he somersaulted into the end zone with 1:21 left in the third quarter for a 15-10 lead. Cousins failed on the 2-point conversion pass.

Hurts had some juice in his step during a second-quarter TD drive, running with abandon for big plays much like he did in the 2022 season. He spiked the ball in a rare, raw show of emotion on a 23-yard run, earning a delay-of-game penalty. He shrugged off the 5-yard setback and scrambled for 9 yards and 15 yards to move the Eagles to Atlanta’s 19.

With comedian Shane Gillis and actor Bradley Cooper among the fans cheering on the Eagles, Hurts connected with Smith in the back of the end zone for a 7-yard TD that made it 7-3.

Under new defensive coordinator Vince Fangio, the Eagles have established an early knack for allowing long drives that end with three points instead of seven. Koo kicked field goals of 39, 22 and 34 yards, the last one enough for a 9-7 lead in the third quarter. In their opener, the Eagles held the Packers to just three field goals when they drove inside the 20.

Questionable call

Rather than take a chip-shot field goal from Elliott, the Eagles’ fourth-and-4 gamble at Atlanta’s 9-yard line in the first quarter failed when Hurts threw an incomplete pass.

Elliott kicked a 29-yarder with 4:31 left in the third quarter for a 10-9 lead.

Running wild

Bijan Robinson ran for 97 yards for the Falcons. The Eagles stuffed him late on fourth-and-1 at the Atlanta 39.

Barkley was quiet until the go-ahead drive, a week after he rushed for 109 yards and scored three touchdowns against Green Bay. Eagles fans booed when the opening drive of the game ended without Barkley touching the ball. They went wild when he had consecutive 9-yard runs to open the second drive. Barkley had 40 yards rushing in the first half.

Foles honored

Former Eagles QB Nick Foles, who led the franchise to its only Super Bowl title, served as an honorary captain and led the crowd in a rendition of “Fly, Eagles, Fly.”

Injuries

The Falcons played without LB Nate Landman (calf, quad).

Up next

Atlanta hosts Super Bowl champion Kansas City on Sunday.

The Eagles play at New Orleans on Sunday.

___

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Fernandez and Dabrowski headline Canadian lineup for Billie Jean King Cup Finals

Published

16 hours ago

September 16, 2024

Anne Joseph

TORONTO – Singles star Leylah Fernandez and doubles specialist Gabriela Dabrowski will anchor Canada’s five-player lineup when the team tries to defend its Billie Jean King Cup title in mid-November.

The 26th-ranked Fernandez, the 2021 U.S. Open finalist from Laval, Que., is the lone Canadian in the top 100 of the WTA Tour’s singles rankings.

Dabrowski, from Ottawa, is ranked fourth on the doubles list. The 2023 U.S. Open women’s doubles champion won mixed doubles bronze with Felix Auger-Aliassime at the recent Paris Olympics.

Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., returns after a breakout performance last year, capped by her singles win in Canada’s 2-0 victory over Italy in the final. Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino is also back and Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion from Mississauga, Ont., returns to the squad for the first time since 2022.

“Winning the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023 was a dream come true for us, and not only that, but I feel like we made a statement to the world about the strength of this nation when it comes to tennis,” Canada captain Heidi El Tabakh said Monday in a release. “Once again, we have a very strong team this year with Bianca joining Leylah, Gaby, Rebecca and Marina, making it an extremely powerful team that is more than capable of going all the way.

“At the end of the day, our goal is to make Canada proud, and we’ll do our best to bring the same level of effort and excitement that we had in last year’s finals.”

Fernandez, who beat Jasmine Paolini to clinch Canada’s first-ever title at the competition, is ranked No. 42 in doubles.

Canada, which received an automatic berth as defending champion, will play the winner of the first-round tie between Great Britain and Germany on Nov. 17 at Malaga’s Martin Carpena Arena.

Australia, Italy and wild-card entry Czechia also received first-round byes. The tournament, which continues through Nov. 20, also includes host Spain, Slovakia, the United States, Poland, Japan and Romania.

Stakusic is up 27 spots to No. 128 in the latest world singles rankings. Marino is at No. 134 and Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, is ranked 167th.

Canada will look to become the first team since Czechia in 2016 to successfully defend its Billie Jean King Cup title.

Malaga will also host the Nov. 19-24 Davis Cup Final 8. The Canadian men qualified over the weekend with a 2-1 victory over Great Britain in Manchester.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.

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