CF Montreal has fired the head coach of its reserve team after the club and the former professional soccer player were roundly criticized for his past comments appearing to support an assassination attempt against former Quebec premier Pauline Marois on election night in 2012.
The decision to let Sandro Grande go comes one day after the organization announced he was joining the staff. His appointment immediately prompted backlash from Quebec’s political sphere.
CF Montreal president and CEO Gabriel Gervais said in a statement and then at a news conference Tuesday afternoon that hiring Grande was a “mistake.”
Gervais apologized to Marois, fans and the community, saying he takes “full responsibility” for the decision. He also described Grande as a “fiery person” who has matured in the last 10 years.
“His hiring was done in good faith,” Gervais told reporters, adding the organization hoped to give Grande a second chance.
Grande and CF Montreal came under fire for his years-old social media comments about the fatal shooting at Metropolis in downtown Montreal. Premier elect and Parti Québécois leader Pauline Marois was delivering her victory speech when a gunman opened fire, killing one person and seriously injuring another in September 2012.
In wake of the attack, Grande allegedly wrote about Marois that “the only mistake the shooter made last night was to miss his target!!! Marois!!! Next time my guy! I hope!”
Grande has always claimed his account was hacked, according to La Presse. The former soccer player, however, admitted to having called separatist voters “hillbillies,” adding that they were “so stupid it is unimaginable.”
The reaction to Grande’s hiring was swift, with Quebec’s premier and other politicians speaking out after the announcement was made by the Major League Soccer club Monday. François Legault’s office said in a statement to The Canadian Press that Grande had made “unacceptable and hurtful remarks in the past.”
“His appointment lacks respect and sends the wrong message,” the office said. “It’s a serious lack of judgment on the part of CF Montreal.”
Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon also called the hiring unacceptable in a series of tweets Monday. Quebec Liberal MNA Marwah Rizqy, who was herself the target of death threats on the election campaign trail, encouraged others “not to trivialize gestures or words.”
When CF Montreal initially announced the hire, it included an apology from Grande — who said he was grateful and happy for the opportunity.
“I made some serious mistakes several years ago and I offer my sincere apologies to those whom my past comments have offended in any way,” Grande said in a statement. “I have learned a lot from them, and I know that I am joining an organization where the values of inclusion and diversity are fundamental. I think it is important to use our personal experiences to continually improve and correct our past mistakes.”
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.”
— with files from The Canadian Press