Soccer union’s abuse report recommends drastic action in wake of Vancouver Whitecaps scandal

A global soccer players’ union is calling for teams to go public when staff are released for abusive conduct.

This follows a series of scandals in the sport, including the ones we’ve been reporting on involving the Vancouver Whitecaps.

FIFPRO, which represents more than 60,000 players worldwide, has released a report and is calling for changes to the approach many clubs have continued to operate under.

The union is pushing for teams to be transparent when staff members are dismissed in connection with abuse, saying “footballing institutions are often allowed to operate with great autonomy and inadequate checks and balances.”

“In almost all cases we have supported, abuse was accompanied by poor financial management and insufficient financial transparency, a lack of diversity in decision-making structures, leadership that had remained in power for long periods of time, and unsafe or unfair playing conditions,” the ‘No More Silence’ report reads. “Finally, those most affected by the decisions of sports entities are not sufficiently consulted or engaged, and have little opportunity to share concerns, question policies or influence systemic change.

“This setup creates a perfect storm: unchecked power in the hands of a few, who make or break the dreams of many, with little or no oversight or accountability,” the report adds.

The lack of transparency and accountability has been a focal point for many of the women who have come forward with claims of abuse against two former Vancouver Whitecaps coaches. In these instances, the men were dismissed from the club quietly, and went on to continue coaching elsewhere while the club tried to keep the situation quiet.

FIFPRO has put together an “unexhaustive list” of actions for clubs to take in an effort to “address the factors that allow abuse to thrive in football.”

The union is asking clubs to address the culture within their organizations. FIFPRO says in most reported cases, “an abusive culture was allowed to develop,” with claims going unchecked for years in some cases.

These cultures were able to grow either “just below the surface” or even “in plain sight,” the union explains, adding leadership at all levels needs to “urgently and actively” tackle this.

FIFPRO is urging clubs to put players’ rights and welfare back in the spotlight, noting unions play a “critical role” in representing and upholding player rights.

Meanwhile, the union is also pushing for groups to implement zero-tolerance policies for abuse, which it notes “requires an improved and in-depth understanding of some of the key issues.”

Those issues include the scale and scope of the problem, as well as what kind of behaviours can amount to abuse.

Related articles: 

• Former Whitecaps women’s players to call for firing of executives over handling of abuse claims

• Vancouver Whitecaps being investigated for handling of sexual misconduct allegations

• Former Whitecaps women’s player claims then-coach pressured her for sex during recruitment

This week, the Vancouver Whitecaps and Canadian women’s national teams are expected to call for the firings of executives they say misrepresented the departures of two coaches accused of abuse.

This comes after former Whitecaps women’s player Malloree Enoch came forward last week with disturbing detailed allegations against her former coach, Hubert Busby Jr.

Busby Jr., who is currently coaching the Jamaican national women’s team, denies the claims against him. He is set to meet with the Jamaica Football Federation Tuesday.

It also comes as former coach Bob Birarda faces criminal charges in relation with other claims.

On Tuesday, Vancouver Whitecaps CEO Axel Schuster said he supports calls for transparency within football clubs. Schuster, who joined the team after the abuse claims are said to have taken place, also supports the call for teams to publish information when a staff member leaves an organization after abuse allegations, something the Whitecaps did not do.

‘A step in the right direction’

Enoch says the timing of the report is interesting, adding the recommendations are a start.

“I’m wondering what the confidence level is in that,” she said, adding history has made it hard for her to “trust that there is going to be a systematic change.”

“But I definitely think it’s a step in the right direction.”

She says while there are positives, there is still much work to do.

Enoch first spoke with the Guardian in the U.K. about her claims against Busby Jr., who is accused of trying to solicit sex from the player, who was 26 years old at the time, during the recruitment process around a decade ago.

Ciara McCormack, who was the first women’s Whitecaps player to come forward in 2019 with abuse allegations against Birarda, says the report and recommendations highlights a “gap in the system that has allowed organizations to allow them not to do the right thing, essentially.”

“It just closes the loophole,” she explained, adding the report, “recognizes the fact that this is a global issue and it’s happening everywhere.”

The report also stresses the need for more player protections within soccer and all sports, McCormack adds.

In addition to the recommendations outlined above, FIFPRO also urges teams to bring in experts who are familiar with the deep trauma some players experience in circumstances of abuse.

McCormack supports this.

“I think the whole concept of investigations, I just think it’s such a broad, ambiguous term, and I think that that, again, gets used in favour of organizations that are trying to cover things up,” she explained.

While FIFPRO represents thousands of players, it ultimately does not have the final say on what can be done.

"When football staff are released for abusive conduct this information should be communicated publicly"

Global soccer players union is out with new report in wake of several abuse scandals including what we've seen with Whitecaps.

I'll have more later for @CityNewsVAN #VWFC https://t.co/zNF33e7XTP

— Martin MacMahon (@martinmacmahon) November 2, 2021

Enoch says while there are some positives within the report, there are still concerns around the “politics” behind the sport.

“At this point, people are still too scared to call people out for what’s right and what’s wrong,” she told CityNews. “I just still feel like people try to protect themselves. No one wants to go after big names and have their name behind it, or compromise their title.”

McCormack agrees that while the recommendations in theory are positive, but may be more difficult to implement in practice.

“I think it’s very complex but it’s very simple. I think the simple is people in power operating from a moral and human place,” she said. “But unfortunately the reality is that organizations, if they’re given the chance to hide or cover things up, they go that route.”

She believes sports and soccer need an overhaul to make it safer for players.

“It’s a good step to put it out there and bring awareness … I definitely think, though, actually putting it into practice is a whole other piece of things. I think that, again, from what we’ve experienced, it’s a blueprint for the fact of how long and how far we have to go still,” McCormack said, adding this report helps point the industry in the right direction.