MONTREAL — The Alouettes’ general manager Danny Maciocia knew he could hire footballers by 9 a.m. Tuesday morning, three hours before the Canadian Football League (CFL) officially opened the free-agent market.
• Also read: Mario Cecchini: the man who has the Alouettes tattooed on his heart
• Also read: Alouettes: The CFL takes control and reinstates Mario Cecchini
A few weeks ago, the CEO received an email telling him that he was no longer authorized to charge for expenses. This prevented him from taking advantage of the seven-day trading window and matching offers that players like Trevor Harris or Eugene Lewis had received from other CFL teams.
“It was extremely frustrating because I felt like I didn’t have a chance. Could we have offered the same type of agreements? I don’t know. But being helpless and seeing it unfold before your eyes was a huge source of frustration,” Maciocia said in a press conference on Wednesday.
“We managed to get along with several guys, but in some cases we were late to the party.”
A fight against time
Maciocia and his football operations staff prepared to watch the parade go by. However, the takeover of the club by the CFL changed the situation and the Alouettes were able – narrowly – to take part in the hunt for athletes who benefited from their autonomy.
“It was a race against time,” said Maciocia.
“We had 12 hours where we just wouldn’t stop working and that allowed us to get back up.”
The GM and his team therefore contacted agents, negotiated, made counter-offers, convinced players and sold their salad in a matter of hours, which could have taken several days for this impressive task. The “Als” eventually hired or retained the services of eight footballers.
Proud
“When I look at the players we signed and the fact that we couldn’t do anything until 9am on Tuesday morning, I’m very proud,” said Maciocia. Our football operations staff have worked so hard.”
“It was a matter of pride and I wanted to keep fighting. We had good news yesterday [mardi]. As for football, I think we managed to save some furniture.
“There are many things that have encouraged me since the CFL took over the organization,” he added.
The circuit’s takeover of the Alouettes finally means the arrival of a new owner. Maciocia has no intention of interfering in this process but is hoping for some stability.
“It is very important to find people who want to get involved in our project and who care about the interests of the Alouettes.”
“I hope that stability will be a priority and that there will be a desire to give this team back to the fans,” he said, adding that the Alouettes have an important role to play in the development of Quebec football.