Uh-oh!
Talk About a Real Mess
Timing bad for under-20 soccer
Reports from Brazil suggest that Joao Havelange, honorary president of the Federation of International Football Association and former long-time president of FIFA, is quietly working behind the scenes to arrange a postponement of the under-20 World Cup scheduled for six Canadian cities this summer, including Toronto's new BMO Stadium at the CNE.
Havelange apparently is concerned that the July dates conflict with not only the July 8 Toronto Grand Prix, but the Pan American Games scheduled for Rio de Janeiro, as well.
Havelange is worried that most countries would send their most talented young players to the under-20s and use lesser talents for the Pan Ams.
Bruce Thomas, a prominent Toronto lawyer and chairman of the under-20 event, also is concerned, but more specifically with the auto race.
"How can our teams and fans get to the stadium when the CNE's race track with its concrete barriers will make access to the stadium almost impossible?" he said. "It would be better if Mr. Havelange could convince FIFA that the under-20 World Cup should be postponed either to August before the CNE opens, or to September, after the CNE closes."
Couldn't someone in the local organizing committee have raised this issue when the championship was first awarded to Canada and games were scheduled in Toronto? After all, it's not like this is the first time that the Grand Prix has been held in July.