Valérie Plante will have neglected sport until her exit

Boy, am I tired! Tired of what? Two weeks ago, I railed against the cuts made by the CAQ government, which, on the ground, forced me to cut young students who were hoping to participate in an extracurricular sport at Repen. I won't play the same tape again, you already know it. This morning, it was a text by Alexandre Pratt (La Presse) that made me say “os*i que je suis tanné!”Pratt spoke with a top MLS executive and then revealed information that follows up on the news I broke three weeks ago, namely that CF Montréal is in seduction mode with the various leaders of Montreal's municipal political parties. #Elections #NovemberBasically, Pratt told us this morning that :1. CF Montréal is not for sale/move-out, but the Ville de Montréal will have to get more involved if the adventure is to continue. It couldn't be clearer:

“The club has a bright future in Montreal, but for that to happen, elected officials will need to better support the team.”

–

Charles Altcheck, MLS

2

Executive VP.

A national team could have set up shop in Montreal for the entire World Cup (3 weeks), but Valérie Plante's administration said no, as it would cost around $600,000. However, 62 North American cities are ready to host a team during the competition. Since Valérie Plante is in her last days as mayor, we can assume that her entire party was in agreement with this refusal.Reminder: at least, the Canadiens team will hold its practice camp in Montreal…

3. CF Montréal is not the only sports organization hoping for better collaboration with the City of Montreal. There are plenty of them, and they're less and less shy about saying so loud and clear.4. The Montreal CF has no intention of building a new stadium, winterizing the one on Sherbrooke Street East or putting a roof over it; the primary objective is to improve thecustomer experience for people who buy VIP/premium tickets. Yikes…5. This isn't the first time the club/league has demanded a better partnership with the City. Just think of Joey Saputo's interview in Italian…6. The club would like the area around the Nutrilait Centre to be more welcoming/accessible. Me too…

I'm not one of those people who wants the government to subsidize and pay for everything. Far from it! But I do believe that the government should build more bike paths and support entrepreneurs who dare to invest in the city's development, both at home and abroad.

We already knew that Montreal wouldn't be hosting any World Cup games, since each match cost around $100 million to finance… But Montreal recently had the chance to host a national team for three weeks (150 to 200 wealthy people who would be spending a lot of money in our businesses, especially on accommodation and food); the City said no, unlike 62 of the 63 teams who wanted to host a team for three weeks.

Do the (simple) math: Montreal is the only North American city to have said no to financing the transportation and logistics of a base camp ($600,000). Wouldn't Montreal have shone and pocketed $600,000 worth of revenue with a 20-day camp on magnificent rue Létourneux? Especially since , according to my colleague Sofiane Benzaza's sources, it would be the French team that would have taken up residence in 514. The current mayor and her team don't like investing in sport, as their actions demonstrate. Is that why the Roses, FC Supra and the Rocket have all moved to Laval's North Shore? Is that why Geoff Molson and France Margaret Bélanger are now investing in Toronto's professional sports? Is that why Tony Marinaro was right when he said Montreal wasn't a sports city last year at the Georges Laraque show? A sports town, by definition, loves sports, doesn't it? When we see major Québécois cities paying fortunes for road signs, rented orange cones, bike paths, slides at the municipal pool, traffic lights or ghost construction sites, I'm outraged that these same cities refuse to do their bit to host large-scale sporting events. When they're not literally scrapping the Grand Prix weekend… The more I think about it, the more I say to myself that Laval should step up and acquire a natural field so that it can host international soccer events. Youknow, the metro goes to Laval – when the STM isn't on strike – and the streets are wide on Montreal's North Shore. And there's plenty of parking…

The joke's on Laval vs. Montreal: I hope Montreal's next mayor will have a better medium/long-term vision for the sport. I hope that the various matches held at Stade Saputo will pay dividends not only for CF Montreal, but also for Soccer Canada and other sports organizations. Although I don't think enhancing the Premium sections should be CF Laval Montreal's #1 priority right now…You know, Joey, where are we going to play and practice if the next winter calendar is approved for 2027?

'Prolongation'

If CF Montreal ever leaves the province, we'll say the same thing we did with the Nordiques and the Expos: the government didn't act when it was time.Let's act now, not too late, as we did with the Centre Vidéotron and the Nordiques…Oh yes! Nor should we be indignant about one sport, but not another, because we like one more than the other. In the end, history seems to repeat itself, and all sports must be supported. Denis Coderre had 1,001 faults, but he was aware of the importance for a city that calls itself international to host international sporting events. When will Montreal's mayor see some vision in this direction?