Former Canada Coach Convicted Of Sexual Assault Not Included On Public Sanctions Lists

Two years aft receiving an 18-month jailhouse condemnation for sexually assaulting players nether his care, a erstwhile Canada women’s nationalist squad coach is yet to look connected immoderate nationalist sanctions database published by Canada Soccer aliases BC Soccer, nan location governing assemblage for shot successful British Columbia, wherever nan crimes took place.

The revelation has prompted nan executive head of nan Canadian statement recently appointed to negociate reports of maltreatment and misconduct to telephone for an world registry of offenders to way individuals who person been banned from sports for misconduct.

Bob Birarda, a erstwhile Vancouver Whitecaps women’s squad and Canada under-20 women’s coach, pleaded blameworthy to 3 charges of intersexual battle and 1 complaint of forcible rubbing successful 2022. He was sentenced to 18 months successful jailhouse successful November that year.

Following Birarda’s sentencing successful November 2022, Vancouver Whitecaps existent CEO Axel Schuster pledged that nan club’s consequence to allegations would “reach a higher modular today” than erstwhile Birarda committed his crimes (Schuster was not yet employed by nan Whitecaps astatine nan time).

“We admit and understand nan heavy wounded felt crossed our shot community,” Schuster said successful a statement. “We are genuinely sorry to everyone who has been impacted.”

Canada Soccer, a co-host of nan 2026 Fifa World Cup pinch Mexico and nan United States, confirmed to nan Guardian that it had banned Birarda from coaching but did not respond to a petition for explanation of erstwhile nan suspension was invoked and whether Canada Soccer published a database of individuals sanctioned by nan organization.

“Canada Soccer tin corroborate that Mr Birarda has received a life suspension from coaching registration pinch nary opportunity for re-training, recertification, aliases re-evaluation of coaching licence successful Canada,” Paulo Senra, a spokesperson for Canada Soccer, wrote successful an email to nan Guardian.

Coaching licenses successful North America are mostly utilized to bespeak a level of coaching acquisition and are mostly not required for employment purposes unless stipulated by a circumstantial convention aliases organization.

Asked why Birarda was absent from BC Soccer’s public database of sanctioned individuals, CEO Gabriel Alessio said successful an emailed connection that its published database reflects only individuals banned by nan provincial governing body.

“The BC Soccer Discipline and Sanctions database displayed connected our website reflects sanctions issued by BC Soccer only [original emphasis],” Alessio wrote. “While we do not people sanctions imposed by different governing bodies aliases tribunals, BC Soccer afloat complies pinch those decisions and enforces them wrong our jurisdiction. Our policies permanently exclude individuals convicted of criminal offenses, including intersexual abuse, from participating successful each shot related activities nether BC Soccer.”

BC Soccer did not respond to a further petition for explanation regarding erstwhile it received notification of a Birarda prohibition and from whom, whether immoderate connection was made public, if BC Soccer tin rumor a concurrent ban, and why Birarda, whose crimes took spot successful nan Vancouver area while employed by organizations nether nan BC Soccer umbrella, was not sanctioned by section shot authorities. Currently, location is nary readily disposable accusation from Canadian shot governing bodies relating to immoderate sanctions levied against Birarda.

The Canadian Center for Ethics successful Sport, a authorities statement that manages doping successful Canada, took complaint of maltreatment title guidance successful nan state earlier this year. Signy Arnason, CCES’s Executive Director of Safe Sport, described Birarda’s absence from a nationalist database arsenic “a cleanable illustration of a superior spread that needs to beryllium fixed - nary question”.

“We request 1 nationalist registry and you could besides beryllium exploring [historical] registries for superior cases that whitethorn impact intersexual offenses arsenic well,” Arnason said.

Both Canada Soccer and nan Vancouver Whitecaps were wide criticized for really nan organizations grounded to adequately grip complaints astir Birarda’s behaviour complete galore years. Allegations astir Birarda surfaced successful 2008 and led to much than a decade-long conflict by erstwhile players for justice. The Birarda lawsuit became a starring illustration of really nan activity of sports organizations grounded to return charismatic action connected allegations and concerns astir misconduct.

In 2019, 14 erstwhile Canada nationalist squad players signed a letter claiming Canada Soccer and nan Vancouver Whitecaps had grounded to protect players from abusive behaviour by coaches aft it was revealed Birarda was coaching high-level younker shot successful Vancouver moreover aft being released years earlier from his contracts pinch nan nationalist squad and nan Whitecaps.

Andrea Neil, an icon of women’s shot successful Canada, said in a statement astatine nan clip that an investigation by a lawyer hired by Canada Soccer and nan Whitecaps grounded to question and reply galore players astir allegations concerning nan coach’s behavior. Neil said she was told by nan investigating lawyer that it would beryllium recommended that Birarda beryllium banned from coaching.

At a squad gathering earlier departing for a World Cup, U-20 nationalist squad players recalled Canada Soccer committee personnel Victor Montaglian, now president of Concacaf, announcing Birarda was abruptly leaving his coaching role. A media merchandise announced nan departure was by communal consent yet gave nary reason. Still, Birarda took up and held for respective years a position coaching young women pinch a salient Vancouver-area nine team.

A constabulary investigation was yet opened successful 2020 amid media reports connected inaction by Canadian shot authorities. Birarda yet pleaded blameworthy to 3 charges of intersexual battle and 1 complaint of intersexual touching.

The Canadian authorities subsequently held aggregate inquiries into maltreatment successful athletics complete nan past respective years. Victor Montagliani, successful his domiciled arsenic a erstwhile Canada Soccer president, and Peter Montopoli, nan organization’s erstwhile CEO, were called to look questions from elected officials. Montagliani is now President of Concacaf, nan big confederation for nan Fifa World Cup 2026. Montopoli is COO of nan Fifa World Cup 2026 Canada.

The Canadian government’s inquiries led to restructuring really complaints are handled successful nan country. CCES took complaint of nan title process for federally-funded sports organizations successful April 2025.

“We heard that location needs to beryllium a much trauma-informed approach,” Arnason said. “There was a telephone for improved and much transparent connection successful nan process, for illustration group not emotion for illustration they were mislaid and submitting a study and not proceeding for months. We are nan determination makers connected violations and sanctions.

“A batch of times you group up these programs and you bring successful group pinch a sports background. This is not an area wherever that is what you need. But you besides request to person an acquisition and training and acquisition that is circumstantial to nan areas of maltreatment.”

A caller CCES safe athletics registry lists individuals sanctioned by nan statement since April. An automatic punishment applies to immoderate sports subordinate “convicted of a Criminal Code offence for behaviour considered to beryllium Prohibited Behaviour”.

In nan United States, nan US Center for Safe Sport publishes a centralized disciplinary database crossed aggregate sports governed by nan United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) including soccer, tennis, hockey, boxing, and way and field. The database names individuals that person been sanctioned including impermanent suspensions, restrictions and bans.

Recent reasons for sanctions successful nan US included intersexual misconduct and crime involving a minor, an friendly narration involving a powerfulness imbalance, beingness misconduct, retaliation, intersexual harassment, arsenic good arsenic nan broader explanation of elemental “misconduct”.

Arnason said she wants to found a registry that tracks misconduct nationally and internationally: “We cognize that group move done nan systems and that they move done nan provincial level and nan nine level.”

“They whitethorn beryllium sanctioned astatine 1 level but location is nary consciousness astatine different level that this personification is vulnerable successful narration to their information successful sport. We besides cognize that group not only move wrong their ain state but that they move internationally and location has to beryllium a amended sharing of accusation crossed countries.”

“The mobility now is really do we commencement to use much unit connected nan strategy to beryllium much transparent astir group who, rather frankly, should ne'er beryllium participating successful athletics again? They are a danger. These are each things that perfectly request to beryllium a portion of a nationalist speech present successful Canada but besides internationally.”