Canada Soccer's Victor Montagliani set to run for CONCACAF presidency

Canadian Soccer Association president Victor Montagliani is running for the CONCACAF presidency.

CONCACAF has been rocked by the recent FIFA scandals, with former confederation presidents Jeffrey Webb and Alfredo Hawit each getting arrested while in office last year on corruption-related charges. Both are facing federal indictments from the US Department of Justice.

Montagliani told the Toronto Sun’s Kurt Larson in a story published on Wednesday that he’s making it his mission to help clean up CONCACAF following the confederation’s recent scandals, pledging to put “football first” if elected by the 41-member nations at the May 12 election in Mexico City.

“Every decision has to be in the best interest of football, not in the best interest of a specific country,” Montagliani told the Sun.

“Ask: Is it good for the game?”

Montagliani, who has been president of the CSA since 2012, becomes the third candidate to enter the race, alongside Guyana’s Mark Rodrigues and Bermuda’s Larry Mussenden. He says he’s focused on uplifting all of CONCACAF’s member nations, some of whom were long ignored under previous regimes.

Montagliani is optimistic about the passage of a reform package that the member nations will vote on next Thursday, and is committed to institute those reforms, which, if passed, will protect against fraud and corruption in the confederation.

“I think [the reforms are] going to happen,” he said. “There was a consensus to pass the reform package. That’s the first step.

“The election for the presidency will come down to this: Who will live and institute those reforms? Who has the experience at an executive level to take CONCACAF to where it has never been?”