Show Notes
Victor Montagliani likes to talk about growing up tough in East Vancouver. A neighbourhood where street smarts got you farther than book smarts. It’s amazing how those skills and that attitude have come in handy in a world that couldn’t be farther removed from East Van - the lofty heights of international soccer. As the President of CONCACAF – the federation that oversees the sport in north america and the caribbean, an organization that was rife with corruption before he took over, and a Vice President of the FIFA Council – that’s who runs the global game, including the World Cup, Montagliani is the most important Canadian sports official since Dick Pound sat in the inner circle of the International Olympic Committee.
Rising through the soccer ranks – which in Canada starts with volunteers organizing kids’ leagues, he has shown an aptitude for making deals and getting things done, both in front of and behind the scenes. Montagliani’s tenure has included turmoil and triumph, unprecedented success on the pitch and high drama off it.
Soccer has never mattered more in Canada as the women’s national team – the drone spying scandal aside – remains one of the best in the sport. The men’s team returned to the World Cup in 2022, and now seems on the verge of even bigger breakthroughs. Canada has a men’s and women’s professional leagues for the first time in our history – the former funded through a controversial arrangement called Canadian Soccer Business (CSB). And next year, Canada will play co-host to the world cup – something unimaginable only a few years ago. You can connect the dots from just about all of that to Victor Montagliani, one way or another.
Stephen sat down with Victor in his hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia at the beautiful Fairmont Pacific Rim.
TIME STAMPS 4:00 - Stephen welcomes Victor to the podcast 4:42 - Victor's career track 7:41 - Transition from the old Canada Soccer to the new Canada Soccer 12:15 - Elected President of Canada Soccer (2012) 15:23 - Changing the culture 18:56 - Funding the professionalization of the game in Canada 21:26 - Explaining the Canadian Soccer Business deal 31:18 - Winning the 2026 World Cup bid 35:07 - Comfort in World Football 37:03 - Drone scandal 40:48 - Hiring Jesse Marsch 45:38 - The Gold Cup 46:58 - World Cup 2026
Audio Credits: Global News, KATL and Sportsnet.
This series is supported by GroupM Motion Entertainment.
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