MONTREAL | After just one game, the rumor mill about the future of the Montreal Alouettes soccer team has finally evaporated.
On Monday, however, former owner Gary Stern reaffirmed his confidence in President Mario Cecchini, general manager Danny Maciocia and head coach Khari Jones.
The businessman, who first attended his club’s training session in 2022, was asked for comments to the Montreal Gazette.
“This season will define what the Canadian Football League is [LCF] and what the alouettes are. Otherwise you’ll see me play mid-season, although I’m not sure what that means,” Stern was quoted as saying by the English-language daily.
The article published this weekend went on to point out that everyone at the Alouettes — from president to quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. — had fears for their jobs. Everything was reported to all corners of the country, much to the chagrin of the owner.
“What I was saying was that if the crowd isn’t there mid-season, we need to find a way in our structure to get more fans to our games. I have never commented on our staff. I love my co-workers. These guys work so hard,” Stern said, adding that the quote published by the newspaper in question was taken out of context.
“Nobody should speculate on Mario, Khari or Danny. I love these guys and they’re doing a fantastic job,” he added.
“Not there”
However, we mustn’t play wild when it comes to Jones. The 51-year-old manager is in the last year of his contract with the Alouettes and a contract extension does not appear to be in the organization’s short-term plans.
Is it an exaggeration to say that he’s playing in his position this year and that a poor start to the season could see him eliminated? According to Maciocia, we’re a long way from making that observation on the staff of the Sparrows, who lost their first game of the season 30-27 to the Stampeders in Calgary.
“I have a direct line to our owner and our President. I can tell you that we really aren’t there yet. If there are ever any discussions on this subject, they will call me directly,” said the DG when asked about a possible change of head coach.
“We only played one game, it’s not like we were 0-4 or 1-3. We did great things last week. But we have to find a way to achieve wins because we have a lot of talent among our players and excellent coaches. It is up to them to find solutions.”
Concentrate on your work
Jones, who played eight seasons as a quarterback in the CFL, has taken to ignoring rumors.
“I’m just concentrating on my job as a coach, that’s the most important thing,” said the driver. I want to help this team win. We’re going in the right direction. I work well with Danny and Mario. Things are going well.”
And what does he think of his owner, president, and GM training on the sidelines with him?
“I personally love it! Good that our landlord is here. After all, he pays for everything. It’s good that he sees our work to bet on a successful team.”