Has John Herdman escaped accountability for Canada Soccer's drone-spying scandal?
MLS coach has been linked to invention of cheating scandal in time as national coach
Canada Soccer is no stranger to controversy.
Whether it is player grievances or threatening to compete under protest, ongoing labour disputes, allegations of mishandling an egregious case of abuse, or the dronegate debacle, it all seems so insidious.
That doesn't even include a very intense investigative report by The Globe and Mail that alleges workplace toxicity from former coach Bev Priestman and former assistant coach Jasmine Mander (both were formally terminated after the results of a third-party investigation) complete with intimidation and sex toys.
I don't doubt that the work for those at Canada Soccer has been difficult. I sometimes wonder what Kevin Blue, CEO and general secretary, was thinking when he accepted the position last March. I can't think of a time when the only appropriate meme I could think of relating to Canada Soccer was one of a dog in a burning house saying "This is fine."
During that time, there have been incredible successes. Under coach Jesse Marsch's leadership, the men's team has never looked more invigorated and exciting. A recent win over Suriname cements they are no longer underdogs but a team to be reckoned with.
Despite an unsettled time for the women in addition to being plagued with injuries, the team earned a draw against Spain — the reigning World Cup champions — and boldly presented Marie-Yasmine (Mimi) Alidou, who was frightfully underutilized (dare I say overlooked?) during Priestman's tenure.
It goes without saying that there are a lot of dedicated people working at Canada Soccer to improve the sport's ecosystem in Canada, to grow the game and to re-establish Canada Soccer as a leader in the world as opposed to something to be mocked. The promise of a domestic women's league and opportunities for women to play professionally at home is exciting and much needed.
A question of accountability
But before we move on to the possibilities and joyous moments, there is the question about accountability. National Sport Organizations (NSO) in Canada seem to have a problem with that and Canada Soccer is no exception.
Even with the terminations of Priestman, Mander, and Joey Lombardi, what of the allegations of toxicity and culture of cheating? Often, when one is fired, they walk away from all the pain and utter disruption and sometimes continue to climb the proverbial ladder.
See former Canada Soccer CEO Nick Bontis who, despite leaving the organization in shambles, went on to work with another former Canada Soccer executive Victor Montagliani at CONCACAF, a regional division of FIFA.
One person whose proximity to accountability remains a huge question mark is John Herdman, who coached the Canadian women's team with some success before moving on to the men's side. In 2023, he left the national programs to coach Toronto FC in the MLS.
An investigative report from Radio-Canada published earlier this month details the ways in which Herdman and subsequent national program coaches were "obsessed" with getting intel on other teams in order to gain an advantage. We know what the fallout was, and we know how terribly it affected the players.
WATCH | Canada Soccer's 'obsessed' culture of drone spying uncovered by Radio-Canada:
It is likely that Herdman's influence on setting up a toxic culture created a path that his own disciple, Priestman, followed.
Both coaches are from Consett, the same town in Northern England, and according to reports have been connected since 1998 when Priestman attended a football training session that Herdman was running.
They continued to coach together, with Herdman mentoring the younger aspiring Priestman. Hindsight is 20-20 but now we know that everything achieved may not have been done with the best and most ethical methods.
Although Herdman, conspicuously silent through the last five months, has insisted that no spying ever took place for the women's team at any major tournaments.
But when is an act or implementing acts in the system egregious enough to make someone accountable? Priestman made terrible decisions and was terminated as a result.
WATCH | Herdman 'highly confident' teams weren't involved in spying on his watch:
One of the elephants in the room is Herdman. What about him?
In sport we see coaches commit errors, flagrant missteps and continue to work and move to the next club or team. We have seen a lack of accountability or hesitance for individuals to truly address the chaos they have caused. It's not just about being fired, it's about truly understanding why making bad decisions will not be tolerated.
Quite often, the impact of said decisions and dishonesty are not fully understood until after the dust settles.
The players would understandably have trust issues and be skeptical. They're human, how could they not? Wider Canadian society wants to love and support the teams, but constant revelations about Canada Soccer and the piss-poor leadership and coaching staff over the last 10 years makes that almost impossible, which is unjust to the players and staff who are working with honesty. It sullies the good and emboldens feelings of distrust.
Herdman works for TFC, which is owned by Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, but sources with knowledge of Canada Soccer's power and jurisdictional bandwidth to the team confirm that it sanctions coaching licenses in Canada under which category Herdman falls.
Not only did the team perform horribly during the season, necessitating a "full rebuild," they have a head coach who is allegedly responsible for laying a foundation of cheating at Canada's senior national women's program.
There's an argument to be made that Herdman allegedly created an unfair sports landscape — not something that Canada prides itself on.
If I was Keith Pelley, president and CEO of MLSE, Herdman would have already been fired.
One of the worst outcomes from all of this is fans not only losing faith in a coaching system but also realizing the system isn't meant to be changed even though it desperately requires those adjustments. Or it needs to be completely rebuilt after burning to the ground.
Instead of having a cast of allegedly culpable characters stand at the sidelines watching the flames grow higher, as others desperately try to put them out, those characters should be moved far away from the scene.
Coaching is a privilege, not a right. Even at the highest echelon, service to sport and sport communities needs to be treated with less frivolity.
Enough is enough.
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