Under the fire of criticism from all political parties, CF Montreal terminated the agreement with Sandro Grande, who had been hired the day before as head coach of the reserve team.
• Read also: Controversial comments on sovereignists: already over for Sandro Grande with CF Montreal
“We recognize that the hiring of Sandro Grande was a mistake and we regret the repercussions caused by this decision,” said Gabriel Gervais, president and CEO of CF Montreal, on Tuesday. We would like to offer our most sincere apologies to anyone who has been hurt or upset. Obviously, we lacked sensitivity and greatly underestimated the comments made and the gestures he made several years ago.
Announced late yesterday, the hiring of Sandro Grande as head coach of the reserve team did not pass in Quebec. The Prime Minister, François Legault, has also welcomed the volte-face of CF Montreal.
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Player Sandro Grande when he grabbed teammate Mauro Biello by the throat during Impact training in 2009.
The day after the Metropolis attack in 2012, Sandro Grande posted a message on Twitter where he said: “The only mistake the shooter made last night was missing his target! Marois! Next time, dude! I hope!”
That evening, the assailant caused one death and one injury in an attack which targeted the new Prime Minister Pauline Marois and the militants of the Parti Québécois, who had come to celebrate their electoral victory at the Metropolis, in Montreal.
Mr. Grande claims his account was hacked.
However, he acknowledges having written on his Facebook account that the sovereignists were “hillbilliesand that the “separatists are so stupid it’s unimaginable”.
“Big lack of judgment”
“I welcome CF Montreal’s decision to end its agreement with Sandro Grande. This story should remind us of the importance of never trivializing the attack on the Metropolis that occurred in September 2012,” Prime Minister François Legault declared on Twitter, shortly after the announcement of CF Montreal.
Earlier in the morning, Mr. Legault had strongly denounced this appointment: “Mr. Grande has made unacceptable and hurtful comments in the past. His appointment is disrespectful and sends the wrong message. It’s a big lack of judgment on the part of CF Montreal, “he said through his spokesperson.
Bernard Drainville, one of the tenors of the CAQ government, went even further in a message posted on Twitter.
“I was at Metropolis with Martine and Rosie. This guy shouldn’t be coaching the @cfmontrealwrites the Minister of Education.
Unanimous political class
It was the leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who first denounced the hiring of Sandro Grande on Monday evening.
“Grande did not make a single trivial error or one tweet too many one evening, he repeatedly made filthy and criminal remarks targeting more than two million independent Quebecers. This tacit endorsement by @cfmontreal is untenable and extremely uncomfortable,” he wrote on Twitter.
On Tuesday, the parliamentary leader of Québec solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, described this hiring as “unacceptable”. “The generic apologies released yesterday by CF Montreal are just as important. The coach and the club owe the separatists and Pauline Marois an apology,” he wrote.
Among the Liberals, parliamentary leader Marc Tanguay declared that “the appointment of Sandro Grande to CF Montreal is not acceptable”. “We must not trivialize the violent remarks he has made in the past. Sport should be used to promote values of respect and solidarity,” he said.
Marwah Rizqy, her Liberal colleague, also said she “100% agrees” with Paul St-Pierre Plamondon. “Mme Pauline Marois was the victim of a political attack. Mme Marois stood in the face of terror, literally! It is up to us today to stand up,” she said.
A lip service apology
In the press release announcing his appointment Monday evening, Sandro Grande seemed to apologize lip service, without specifying the events to which he was referring.
“I made some serious mistakes and I am deeply sorry for disrespecting anyone. I learned a lot from them and I know that I am joining an organization where the values of inclusion and diversity are fundamental. I think it’s important to use our personal experiences to continually improve and correct our past mistakes,” he said.