CF Montreal has fired its reserve squad coach after political backlash over years-old comments on his Twitter account suggesting the former premier of Quebec should be assassinated.
The Major League Soccer club on Tuesday said it would end its deal with Sandro Grande — less than one day after announcing his hiring. Team president and CEO Gabriel Gervais said it was a "mistake" to bring him on with the team.
"There was a hiring committee like every other position, but I ultimately take full responsibility for this decision," Gervais said Tuesday.
"Late last night I could tell that a large portion of our community and our fans were upset with this decision, and it was at that moment that we started to reconsider."
Grande was under fire over comments on social media he made in the wake of the 2012 Quebec election night shooting outside a Parti Québécois gathering with leader Pauline Marois. A post from his Twitter account read: "The only mistake the shooter made last night was to miss his target!!! Marois!!! Next time buddy! Hopefully!"
That night a gunman shot dead lighting technician Denis Blanchette at the rear of the venue and seriously injured a second technician, David Courage, who was struck with the same bullet.
“The only thing I can tell you is that these are unacceptable and reprehensible remarks, I do not want to make any other comments,” Marois told The Canadian Press on Tuesday. “A solution has been reached and all the better.”
Grande had claimed his account was hacked, according to La Presse, but the former soccer player did admit to having called separatist voters "hillbillies" and "stupid."
He apologized at the time for the comments on his Twitter feed, and on Monday he issued another apology, in a statement by the club announcing his hiring.
"I am very grateful and happy to have the opportunity to return to the club that I have loved since my childhood," Grande said. "I made serious mistakes several years ago and I am deeply sorry for disrespecting anyone."
Grande added that he had learned much since then and was eager to join the organization where "the values of inclusion and diversity are fundamental."
"We were aware of these unacceptable actions. What we saw in him are the good things he's done over the last few years and the maturity he's gained," Gervias said. "We don't want to trivialize what he said, but we did have to acknowledge that he had made strides to better himself."
Grande had played with the organization but was released in 2009 for grabbing teammate Mauro Biello by the throat during training.
The political reaction to his hiring was immediate and almost unanimous.
PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon called the team's decision unacceptable in a series of tweets Monday.
"I have read his apologies (Monday) which are insufficient and which fail to mention the group he was targeting (the sovereigntists) or the person he wanted to see killed (Pauline Marois)," St-Pierre Plamondon wrote.
"He repeatedly made filthy and criminal remarks targeting more than two million separatist Quebecers; this tacit endorsement by CF Montreal is untenable and extremely uncomfortable," he wrote.
Premier François Legault on Tuesday welcomed the club's decision. "This story should remind us of the importance of never trivializing the attack … that occurred in September 2012," Legault tweeted.
Liberal member Marwah Rizqy also denounced the hiring. "Ms. Pauline Marois was the victim of a political attack. Ms. Marois stood up in the face of terror, literally! It is up to us today to stand up. Let us not trivialize either gestures or words," Rizqy wrote.
"We were expecting people not to be happy with the decision, but we did not expect the size of the backlash," Gervais said. "Sandro was expected to speak with the media and offer apologies in addition to his statement, but it obviously didn't get that far."
Grande had been hired along with Patrick Viollat to oversee the reserve squad. The club says Viollat will now take over as head coach of that team.
"I look on social media I see a lot of fans and members of our community that are upset, and that's completely understandable because we failed to put ourselves in their position," Gervais said. "We now have to go out there and win back their support as an organization.
"We are a public organization, and we have to make decisions that don't just get results, but act in the best interest of our entire community."
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