CF Montreal has reversed its decision to hire Sandro Grande as head coach of its reserve team.
• Also read: Sandro Grande recruitment: according to Legault, a “major lack of judgement” on the part of CF Montreal
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On Tuesday, less than 24 hours after announcing his employment, the club terminated the 45-year-old’s contract. His arrival at CF Montreal had shocked the political class following statements made by Grande a decade earlier.
The office of Prime Minister François Legault has also sharply condemned the hiring. So did the leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.
After the 2012 attack on Metropolis, Grande posted a message on Twitter claiming, “The only mistake the shooter made last night was missing his target! Marois! Next time dude! I hope!”.
The ex-footballer has always claimed his account was hacked. However, he admitted to speaking out against sovereignty on his Facebook account, specifically arguing that people who support the independence option are “backwoods” and that “separatists are so stupid it’s unimaginable.”
1/4 The PQ strongly condemns this unacceptable appointment.
As a reminder, in the hours after the Metropolis tragedy, Grande posted: “The only mistake the shooter made last night was missing his target! Marois! Next time dude! I hope!” https://t.co/dfXzkxJavu
— Paul St-Pierre Plamondon (@PaulPlamondon) January 10, 2023
“We recognize that the hiring of Sandro Grande was a mistake and we regret the impact of this decision,” CF Montreal President and CEO Gabriel Gervais said in a statement.
“We would like to offer our sincere apologies to anyone who has been hurt or shocked. Obviously we lacked sensitivity and grossly underestimated the comments and gestures he made a few years ago.
It’s Patrick Viollat who will finally be at the helm of CF Montreal’s reserve team. He was originally hired as Grande’s assistant.