Head of Canadian soccer resigns as dispute with players continues

Nick Bontis resigned on Monday as president of the Canadian Soccer Association, acknowledging change is needed to achieve labor peace with the men’s and women’s teams.

The move followed a letter from provincial and territorial soccer leaders asking Bontis to step down.

Earlier this month, the Canadian men’s team asked for the country’s sport minister, Pascale St-Onge, to remove the Canada Soccer leadership if it was “not willing to take immediate action to respond to the players’ demands and concerns.”

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

Although Bontis has left his post, his status is rising in international soccer politics. On Saturday, he was named a vice-president for North America at Concacaf – a four-year mandate that runs through the men’s World Cup in 2026 in Canada, the United States and Mexico.

“I acknowledge that this moment requires change,” Bontis said in a statement. “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,”

Bontis was elected president in November 2020, succeeding Steven Reed. Before Reed, Canadian soccer was led by Victor Montagliani, who was reelected on Saturday as Concacaf president in a role which makes him a Fifa vice-president through 2027.

The men’s and women’s teams have demanded Canada Soccer open its books, including its agreement with Canadian Soccer Business, which arranges sponsorship and broadcast deals. 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