Dwayne De Rosario and Julian de Guzman, two of Canada's most
prominent soccer players, are speaking out against what De
Rosario calls the Canadian Soccer Association's “poor support”
of the men's national team.
The two players made the comments as Canada prepares for an
exhibition match against Brazil, ranked No. 2 in the world, at
Qwest Field in Seattle tomorrow. Canada will also face Panama in
Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Wednesday.
The two matches are preparation for Canada's FIFA World Cup
qualifying series against St. Vincent and the Grenadines next
month.
John Billingsley, the CSA's deputy chief operating officer, has
said the 2008 budget for the men's team is more than $1-million.
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“It's not enough,” said De Rosario, a two-time Canadian soccer
player of the year, “and they know it's not enough. … The CSA
has to realize some of the situations that the players are under
and realize that there is more than just going out there and
playing.”
De Rosario bemoans the lack of international matches, quality
accommodations and proper transportation that he feels are
essential to creating team chemistry. He scoffs at the notion
that added sponsorship – which Billingsley says has helped to
increase the CSA's annual budget to an estimated $13-million –
has trickled down to the men's team.
“If we do have sponsorships,” De Rosario said, “it is either
they [the CSA] get the money and we are not seeing much of the
benefits, or the money is coming in and we do not know where it
is going.”
De Guzman says the CSA would rather hedge its bets on the
continued success of the women's national team, which has
appeared in four consecutive FIFA Women's World Cup tournament
since 1995, than take a risk on the men, who have not qualified
for the World Cup since 1986.
“The women qualify for every World Cup that there is and I think
the CSA feels it is a much safer investment for them to support
the women,” de Guzman said.
Both Toronto-born players agree Canada now has a men's team
worth investing in. During last summer's Gold Cup, Canada's
creative attacking style was praised by fans and pundits alike,
and de Guzman believes Canada has the talent to beat CONCACAF
giants Mexico, Costa Rica and the United States and qualify for
he World Cup in 2010 in South Africa.
“We have the team that can run with these guys and give them a
much more difficult time than before,” de Guzman said.
The CSA's technical director, Stephen Hart, was the head coach
of the men's team during the Gold Cup and agrees with both De
Rosario's assessment of the association's budget and de Guzman's
evaluation of the team's talent. However, Hart is confident that
changes to the CSA's structure will be made soon.
“At present, our budget is definitely not sufficient, and that
is not a secret,” Hart said. “I think people will see some
surprising things happening in the next few months, things that
may please the players. … We are certainly not going to throw
our hands up and give up.”
De Guzman says the men's team deserves the CSA's full support.
“I am sure they [the CSA] know that we have a good enough team
to qualify,” he said, “but are they willing to take that risk? I
think this is what the game is all about … and this is the
perfect time to take the risk.”
De Rosario extols the efforts of head coach Dale Mitchell, but
concedes that without more money, Mitchell's task of leading
Canada to South Africa is difficult.
“I feel bad for our coaching staff,” De Rosario said, “because
when they have these figures thrown their way, they are, like,
‘Okay, well, how are we going to make this work?' ”
To qualify for the World Cup, De Rosario says the men's team
will need the lion's share of the CSA's budget. But without
increased support, he knows talent will take the men's team only
so far.
“I think we have the ability, the potential, the focus, the
determination and the desire,” De Rosario said. “Whether that is
enough remains to been seen. If we don't get the proper funding
we need in order to be successful, hopefully that will be
enough.” Special to The Globe and Mail
