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Edmonton Journal
4 days ago
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Canada men's soccer coach Jesse Marsch bothered by U.S. treatment of Ukraine
Article content 'As an American, the treatment that we have given the president of Ukraine and the lack of respect really bothers me,' he said. There was a contentious White House meeting in late February when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was belittled by Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance. Trump has also lumped Ukraine and Russia together as aggressors when Ukraine was invaded by Russia in February 2022. Canada hosts Ukraine on Saturday in the opening game of the inaugural Canadian Shield Tournament at Toronto's BMO Field. New Zealand and Ivory Coast are also taking part. 'Without having to know what it's like to go through something like what players, this coach, this federation has been through, I am just really excited to be able to show our support, as the Canadian national team coach, to show how much we are behind them, that we are with them, that we want to do everything we can,' Marsch told the breakfast. The 51-year-old Marsch, a former U.S. international who was born in Racine, Wisc., said in February he was 'ashamed of the arrogance and disregard that we've shown one of our historically oldest, strongest and most loyal allies (in Canada).' The Canada Ukraine Foundation has raised more than $1 million at its fundraising breakfasts over the last three years. A ball autographed by Andriy Shevchenko, president of the Ukrainian Association of Football, was auctioned off for $10,000 Friday after the former Ukraine star striker took part in a question-and-answer session.
Hamilton Spectator
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Canada men's soccer coach Jesse Marsch bothered by U.S. treatment of Ukraine
TORONTO - Canada soccer coach Jesse Marsch, an American who won kudos north of the border earlier this year for telling U.S. President Donald Trump to 'lay off the ridiculous rhetoric' about Canada being a 51st state, has taken aim at the U.S. president again. In a speech to a Canada-Ukraine Foundation breakfast Friday, Marsch made mention of the recent U.S. attitude towards Ukraine. 'As an American, the treatment that we have given the president of Ukraine and the lack of respect really bothers me,' he said. There was a contentious White House meeting in late February when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was belittled by Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance. Trump has also lumped Ukraine and Russia together as aggressors when Ukraine was invaded by Russia in February 2022. Canada hosts Ukraine on Saturday in the opening game of the inaugural Canadian Shield Tournament at Toronto's BMO Field. New Zealand and Ivory Coast are also taking part. 'Without having to know what it's like to go through something like what players, this coach, this federation has been through, I am just really excited to be able to show our support, as the Canadian national team coach, to show how much we are behind them, that we are with them, that we want to do everything we can,' Marsch told the breakfast. The 51-year-old Marsch, a former U.S. international who was born in Racine, Wisc., said in February he was 'ashamed of the arrogance and disregard that we've shown one of our historically oldest, strongest and most loyal allies (in Canada).' The Canada Ukraine Foundation has raised more than $1 million at its fundraising breakfasts over the last three years. A ball autographed by Andriy Shevchenko, president of the Ukrainian Association of Football, was auctioned off for $10,000 Friday after the former Ukraine star striker took part in a question-and-answer session. —- This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025
CBC
19-03-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Canada men's soccer team to play Ukraine and Ivory Coast in new tournament in Toronto
Canada will play Ukraine and the Ivory Coast in June at Toronto's BMO Field in a new four-team men's soccer tournament called the Canadian Shield. New Zealand is the other team taking part in the event, which consists of doubleheaders June 7 and June 10. Canada will open the tournament June 7 against Ukraine, with New Zealand taking on the Ivory Coast in the nightcap. On June 10, it's New Zealand versus Ukraine followed by Canada versus the Ivory Coast. Tickets for each day will provide access to both games. The competition serves as an appetizer ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which Canada is co-hosting, while offering top opposition for the Canadian men. Ukraine is currently ranked 25th in the world while Ivory Coast is No. 46 and New Zealand No. 89. Canada, ranked 31st, has played Ukraine just once, a 2-2 draw in Kyiv in an October 2010 friendly. It has never faced Ivory Coast. "Ukrainian community in Canada has always supported our national team worldwide and now it is our turn to visit them," Andriy Shevchenko, president of the Ukrainian Association of Football, said in a statement. "Canada is a strong partner of Ukraine and we are pleased to accept this invitation." Shevchenko, a former star forward with Chelsea, AC Milan and Dynamo Kyiv who won 111 caps for Ukraine, played for Ukraine in the 2010 game with Canada. Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae said the tournament will "allow us to get a feel for the local conditions." "We are used to playing against African teams, but this time, we will have the chance to test ourselves against North American and Oceanian teams, who have a different style of play," he added in a statement. "It's a fantastic opportunity for our development." New tournament will be an annual event, MLSE says Toronto is scheduled to host six games at the 2026 World Cup, with Vancouver staging the other seven slated for Canada. "We all want our Canadian national team to shine on the world stage," MLSE president and CEO Keith Pelley said in an interview. Pelley says MLSE plans to "create as many opportunities for the Canadian national team to compete against the world's best football/soccer nations. "We've not announced all of them but in 2025, we will have six games (at BMO Field) where Canada will play nations ranked inside the top 100 in the world, including five inside the top 50 and two inside the top 25." WATCH | Toronto planning to spend $10.7M on FIFA World Cup ticket packages: Toronto wants to spend almost $11M on luxury box seats for the FIFA World Cup 10 hours ago Duration 2:19 The Canadian Shield is the first step down that path. MLSE says the tournament will be an annual event, possibly with more teams in the field. There will also be two Canadian women's games, yet to be announced, at BMO Field this year. Pelley, who is part of the ownership group of Birmingham City which currently tops England's third-tier League One, has also said he wants to bring more club friendlies to BMO Field. BMO Field is owned by the City of Toronto but managed by MLSE which owns the stadium's two major tenants — Major League Soccer's Toronto FC and the CFL's Argonauts Coach Jesse Marsch and the Canadians are currently in California preparing for Thursday's CONCACAF Nations League semifinal against No. 19 Mexico. The winner will face either the 16th-ranked U.S. or No. 36 Panama in the final with the loser dropping into the third-place game, also Sunday. The June event will also help Canada prepare for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which runs June 14 and July 6 across 14 North American stadiums including Vancouver's B.C. Place. "Every competitive match from now until the World Cup will be critical to get our team the preparation it needs ahead of welcoming the world next year," Marsch said in a statement. "This is an extraordinary addition to our annual competitive calendar and to be able to play at home in front of our fans again will be really special for our guys." Ukraine, which celebrated its independence in 1991, reached the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup where it was knocked out by eventual champion Italy. Ivory Coast, which won its independence in 1960, made it to the World Cup in 2006, 2010 and 2104 but never made it out of the group stage. Canada took part in the 1986 and 2022 World Cups, also failing to reach the knockout stage. The Ukraine and Ivory Coast games add to a Canadian men's dance card that also includes No. 38 Romania and No. 29 Wales in September. The June tournament is being presented by MLSE, Sportfive and MIB Sport Agency in partnership with Canada Soccer. Sportfive is an international sport agency whose headquarters is in Germany. MIB Sport Agency, based in Dubai, specializes in football management services, including organizing tournaments.
New York Times
28-02-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Ukrainian FA says Russia return to international football would ‘ignore the suffering of thousands'
The Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) believes allowing Russia to return to international football would 'ignore the suffering of thousands of Ukrainians' and have called for their suspension to remain in place until the war is over. Following Russia's illegal, full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, its national teams and domestic clubs were quickly suspended from FIFA and UEFA competitions. Advertisement That ban has remained in place for over three years, but talk about the country's return to the sporting landscape has increased in recent weeks following comments made by U.S. President Donald Trump and Zoran Lakovic, UEFA's director of national associations. Speaking at the Russian Football Union's (RFU) extraordinary conference earlier this month, Lakovic said he hopes to see the country's return to football before the end of the year. 'Sport should unite, not divide people,' Lakovic said, as reported by Izvestia, a Russian news outlet. 'It should remain completely independent of political influence. 'Unfortunately, in 2025 we do not see this with regard to Russian athletes. I hope that during this year Russian sport will finally return to its former place: the peak of European sport.' Despite Lakovic's remarks, the UAF has condemned the prospect of Russia's return before a peace deal between the two countries is agreed and the war ends. 'The Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF), as well as the whole Ukrainian Football Community, are grateful to the football governing bodies — the FIFA Council and UEFA Executive Committee — which have suspended all Russian teams since the end of February 2022,' a UAF statement to The Athletic read. 'Since that moment, the UAF keeps doing our best to monitor that this restriction is not violated, as the UAF firmly believes that Russia must not be allowed to participate in the international competitions while its full-scale war against Ukraine continues. 'Sport cannot exist separately from fundamental values such as peace, respect, and fair play. 'Allowing Russia to compete would normalise aggression, undermine the principles upon which international sports are built and would mean ignoring the suffering of thousands of Ukrainians, including members of the football community, who have lost their lives defending our country.' GO DEEPER After Donald Trump's comments, could Russian football be brought in from the cold? Even after Lakovic's comments and a failed attempt to allow Russia's Under-17s to compete at the Under-17 European Championship in 2024, UEFA has told The Athletic that the prospect of Russia returning 'has not been raised' within European football's governing body. To enable Russia's return, a majority of UEFA's Executive Committee (ExCo) would need to vote in favour of it happening. Advertisement An existing member of the ExCo is Aleksandr Dyukov, the president of the RFU and chairman of Russian oil company Gazprom Neft, a subsidiary of the state-owned Gazprom. Despite saying he planned to run for re-election at April's UEFA congress in Belgrade, Serbia, Dyukov's name was not on the list of candidates released by UEFA earlier this week. Andriy Shevchenko, the UAF's president, is one of the five candidates standing for election. Asked whether their players would refuse to play against Russian opponents if they return to international football before the war is over, the UAF said they 'fully support the right of players to stand by their principles in this matter'. 'Russian teams and clubs are suspended from the international competitions, however Russian players play in the foreign clubs and sometimes our players can face them during the UEFA competitions,' the UAF added. 'Ukrainian players definitely play the role of the ambassadors of our country and given the ongoing war and its tragic impact on Ukrainian society, including the football community, it is understandable that our players refuse to shake hands with Russian players. 'For Ukrainian footballers, this is not just a sporting issue but a deeply personal and moral one. Many players have friends, family members, or colleagues who have been affected by the war.' ()
