After Hockey Canada, the Canada Soccer organization also receives some blame, to a lesser extent, for its mismanagement in a sexual assault case.
• Read also: 21 victims of sexual abuse received $9 million from Hockey Canada
• Read also: Hockey Canada: Using its history to make a difference
While Bob Birarda awaits sentencing following pleading guilty to three counts of sexual abuse, the organization may not have followed its own policy regarding such assaults, according to the findings of an independent investigation. Canada Soccer is said to have remained silent, according to a report released by McLaren Global Sport Solution.
Birarda, who coached Canada’s women’s under-20 team, was also dropped from the Vancouver Whitecaps women’s team in 2009. He was arrested in 2020 on six charges of sexual exploitation, two for sexual assault and one for child luring between 1998 and 2008.
In a statement, Canada Soccer General Secretary Earl Cochrane acknowledged the legitimacy of the findings of this investigation.
“The McLaren report clarifies that although the organization acted quickly in 2008 to address concerns that eventually led to the dismissal of National Women’s Under-20 team head coach Bob Birarda, the procedures in place were not followed. The organization’s response almost 15 years ago was not enough.
Canada Soccer, however, maintained that according to the report, the complaints from 2008 only included “inappropriate texting”, not “admissions of sexual harassment made by Birarda in 2019”.
“Having said that, we accept the conclusions set out in the McLaren report and, more importantly, we accept all the recommendations and publicly commit to reviewing, adopting and optimizing them.”
Outside help
To achieve its goals, Canada Soccer announced on Thursday that it has used “Canada’s only safe sport consulting and programming agency”, ITP Sport and Recreation.
Its co-founder, Olympian Allison Forsyth, is particularly well placed to tackle this issue. She is a survivor of sexual abuse within the Canadian sport system.
“This partnership will transform the way the country views safe sport,” Forsyth said in the statement. We are confident that we will set up the success of this sport for many years to come.”
– At Hockey Canada, it was revealed on Wednesday that a special fund dedicated in particular to out-of-court settlements had been used, since its establishment in 1989, to make nine payments for cases of sexual abuse, totaling 7 $.6 million.