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Bio:
Tony Evangelista (Former FIFA Referee/Former President of the Toronto Soccer Association/Member of the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame) on the Canadian Men's National Team Program.
Rednation Online recently had the opportunity to interview Tony Evangelista, a former FIFA referee and a former President of the Toronto Soccer Association, as well as a member of the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame. Evangelista was born in Sora, Italy, and came to Canada with his family when he was 13. He began refereeing when he was 23, and was for many years one of Canada's top referees.
Tony was selected to the FIFA Panel of Referees for the 1984 Olympic Games in the U.S. and was in the middle for the game between West Germany and Morocco. Later in the competition he was a linesman in one of the semi-finals.
Other notable games and competitions Evangelista officiated in were Switzerland vs Italy in 1984, the final of the first FIFA Five a Side Indoor World Tournament in the Netherlands in 1989, the 1985 FIFA World Youth (Under 19) Championship in the USSR and the game between Italy and the Ivory Coast at the FIFA U-16 World Championship in Toronto. Perhaps the most important game Tony ever handled was that between Honduras and El Salvador in Tegucigalpa immediately following the so called "Soccer War" between the two countries. The fact that he was chosen to handle such a potentially volatile game underlines the high esteem in which he was held by FIFA. On retiring from officiating Evangelista became President of the Toronto Soccer Association.
He was inducted as a Builder in 2003 in the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame.
During the interview, Tony provided his analysis about why the Canadian Men's National Team struggles to succeed, his views on the Canadian Soccer Assocation and his belief that not only is Major League Soccer here to stay, but also that it is essential to the success of Team Canada.
RedNation Online: Tony, thank you very much for taking the time to speak with us.
Tony Evangelista: My pleasure.
RedNation Online: Once again Canada has failed to qualify for the World Cup. To outside observers it appears that Canada had the players to qualify, but once again they fell short. Most people are blaming Dale Mitchell. A lot of the players have continued to grumble about the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) and some notable players have "retired" from the national team because they don't like how it is being run. As someone who has worked many years with the CSA, had inside access to top level international and professional games and players due to your position as a former FIFA referee and who has observed both international and Canadian soccer as a passionate lover of the game and a top level soccer professional, what do you make of Canada's failure to qualify for the World Cup? Who is to blame?
Tony Evangelista: I don't think the blame can fall to one person or a set of people. It's actually quite a complex question to answer. The main problem is that the Canadian National Team has such a small, small budget. They have a very small budget. And to bring all of these best players to participate in the National Team - who mostly play in Europe - is very expensive. For them to arrange games or even to arrange a training session is very expensive. It's often financially impossible for them. Their hands are tied. They can't seriously do it because of the economics.
RedNation Online: But isn't part of the problem because the CSA thinks provincially as opposed to nationally?
Tony Evangelista: Well, the CSA is basically structured as an amateur organization. They are all amateurs. They are structured that way and focus on developing amateur talent. They don't seem to have the knowledgeable people - people who are knowledgeable enough in professional circles to guide them on what they need to do in order for them to develop a national team made up of professional players. And it's not that they don't care - they are aware of it. If you mention to them the idea of hiring someone with the required knowledge, they will say that it is a good idea and we know that, but will respond that they don't have the money. Also, the majority of the money that the CSA does generate is via registration fees for youth and recreational leagues. And that is another reason that they focus on the amateur level. They do and say whatever is good for youth players, because that is their bread and butter.
RedNation Online: So they don't have the knowledge required and they don't have the money to hire someone that does?
Tony Evangelista: That's correct. They cannot afford to hire good professional people, because they cost a lot of money. And then subsequent to that - and that was the problem with previous coaches - they can't afford to give them enough games during the year - the cost of bringing together the players from all over the world - for them to develop as a team.
RedNation Online: So then you don't think that Dale Mitchell was a completely terrible coach?
Tony Evangelista: No, he wasn't terrible, but he did not have professional experience (as a coach). It was the same story with Bob Lenarduzzi. They keep repeating themselves because of the economic situation.
RedNation Online: So what is the way to get around that then?
Tony Evangelista: They need to get more money.
RedNation Online: How are we going to do that? How does the U.S. fund their team?
Tony Evangelista: The U.S. gets grants galore from the government. The U.S. can do whatever they want. They really spend a lot of money. They also have a professional league and always have.
RedNation Online: And their National Team has had top 10 ranking success in the world.
Tony Evangelista: That's right. And without a professional league, how are you going to develop the players? The CSA developes great amateur players until 16, 17, 18 at the most. And there have been great players and a very good amateur side. They do this very, very well. But they need a coach for those players who can develop them further and for most of them once they are 18, they have nowhere to go.
RedNation Online: These kids also jump ship to Europe don't they?
Tony Evangelista: Well, the few - the percentage that are really talented players - of course have this opportunity. Now they also have the MLS and previously it was the NASL (North American Soccer League) - which was great and that's where I learned most of my refereeing. I developed as a referee in the same way that other people developed as players - having a place to practice the profession.
RedNation Online: So do you think that having Toronto FC and soon the Vancouver Whitecaps in the MLS will help the National Team.
Tony Evangelista: Of course.
RedNation Online: And hopefully Montreal will get an MLS team soon as well.
Tony Evangelista: Yes, that will be the key - having multiple teams. Now we will get somewhere because the professional teams have to donate a percentage of their ticket sales to the CSA.
RedNation Online: Is that how the MLS is set up?
Tony Evangelista: Yes, they have to give a percentage to the CSA. Professional leagues and success with national team is all related. If you review the MLS rules and constitution you will find this information. It is readily available on the Internet. They also take money from the amateur operations to develop the senior side, but it is never enough. It's not even close to what they need to do things properly. It's an old story with the CSA. The same things have been going on for years.
RedNation Online: But maybe with the MLS becoming prominent in Canada things will finally start to change?
Tony Evangelista: With the top level professional teams coming back into Canada, that will develop things back to what we had during the time of the NASL and the Toronto Blizzard. We had 4 or 5 teams during that time. And the Team Canada was doing very, very well.
RedNation Online: The last time that Canada made the World Cup - was that based on the existence of the NASL?
Tony Evangelista: That's right. Strictly based on the NASL. It produced professional players. That's where Lenarduzzi came from, that's where Wilson came from, James did as well - it's where all the players came from. They came from the NASL era.
RedNation Online: So I guess the big question is whether the MLS is going to stick around, unlike the NASL.
Tony Evangelista: Yes, of course.
RedNation Online: It looks like a big thing that the MLS has going for it is the support of the younger generation, as opposed to the NASL which was marketed to the older generation and first generation of immigrants, who all had their own teams in Europe - Real Madrid, AC Milan, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, etc. - and who thought the NASL was a joke and 3rd rate league and ultimately did not support it.
Tony Evangelista: Yes, agreed.
RedNation Online: The time looks to be right because the current generation wants their own team and not necessarily to support the home team of our parents. The success of TFC really illustrates this desire. My Dad is German and he used to take me as a kid to watch MLS games, but he was not going to watch and support the Canadian players or even the local team. He went to see Beckenbauer play for the New York Cosmos. Once Beckenbauer left the league, he lost interest.
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