"We're not serious": Herdman slams Canada Soccer funding issues
Few have given more of their livelihood to Canada Soccer over the years than men’s national team head coach John Herdman.
And on the biggest stage he’s had yet in 2023, he’s asking for them to find a way to give a little bit back to himself and his staff.
Following Canada’s 2-0 defeat in Las Vegas to the US in the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Final — an international tournament designed to reduce the number of friendlies among national teams in favour of a second regional competition — Herdman gave a passionate answer about the struggles his employer has had over the years off of the field.
Full transcript of #CanMNT coach John Herdman's comments in response to @ByDougMcIntyre 's question about funding: https://t.co/Wi1scGT4F9 pic.twitter.com/C1W0HBjQ5b
— Jake Fenner (@jakefenner_) June 19, 2023
Answering a question from Fox Sports’ Doug McIntyre about the national sports organization’s funding issues throughout the years, Herdman was candid in his reply.
“I think it’s not a secret the organization has been suffering financially even through the World Cup qualification,” Herdman said post-match, via the Daily Mail’s Jake Fenner. “You had coaches raising money to make sure we’ve got charter flights, security on those charter flights.”
Herdman is now 12 years into his tenure as a Canada Soccer employee, having coached the women’s national team from 2011 to 2018 before taking over the men’s side.
Canada finished first in the CONCACAF region in the final round of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar last year, but dropped all three of their group stage games at the tournament to Belgium, Croatia, and Morocco.
“‘We’ve got the best generation of players we’ve had. And there’s more coming, you can see it. [Ismael] Kone just dropped out the sky. Tajon Buchanan just dropped out the sky, Alistair Johnson, like it’s coming… we’ve got to figure this out financially,” Herdman added.
Canada is set to be one of three countries hosting the 2026 World Cup, with 10 matches awarded to Toronto and Vancouver combined, with the possibility of adding more.
But Herdman feels like there’s still more to offer when it comes to how the national federation is funded, whether that’s from government sources or external partners.
“It’s the preparation period. It does cost a lot of money to get things put together for these windows… we’ve got to get serious about winning a World Cup. When you play at home, you get a chance to win it. You get a chance to get to a quarterfinal, a semifinal, and then get on that roll to win it. And we’re not serious. We brought a World Cup to our country and we’re not serious about winning it,” Herdman added.
Canada Soccer had a reported revenue of $47.6 million in 2022, with expenses at $54 million, per BIV.com.
Over the past two years, players on both the men’s and women’s national teams have repeatedly called out their national federation for mishandling the funds, which led to ex-president Nick Bontis’ resignation in February, along with general secretary Earl Cochrane and other board members.
On Sunday night, Canada failed to score a goal against their American rivals despite controlling 63% possession and managing 12 shots, four of which were on target. Meanwhile, the Americans put up 15 shots, seven of which were on target.
“You see how close that team is tonight. Tactically, we were there. Chances, shots, we were there. The margins were so tight tonight, so tight,” Herdman added. “So we’ve got to get real. We’ve got to get real and quick, ’cause these players, they deserve it. They deserve a shot. The country deserves it. All the people that work to bring it deserve a shot. Let’s get after it. We’re close.”
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