Latest news with #WorldCup-related
Toronto Sun
6 days ago
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
John Herdman keeping busy while he looks for next coaching job
Published Jun 16, 2025 • 4 minute read Toronto FC head coach John Herdman reacts during the first half of an MLS soccer match against the Colorado Rapids on Sept. 21, 2024 Photo by Jack Dempsey / AP Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. John Herdman has been busy since stepping down as Toronto FC coach on Nov. 29. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account He has been involved with daughter Lilly's under-14 soccer team, spent time working on an high-performance app called 'Live to Win' as well as mentoring coaches and doing some World Cup-related work for Sky Sports in England. Herdman, who turns 50 next month, is also looking for his next coaching job but says the time and position have to be right. 'There's been a lot of opportunities over the last seven months,' he said in an interview. 'But I made a commitment to (wife) Clare that we just be patient, (that) we look and pick the right opportunity. There's been some good ones, but location, timing, just weren't right.' He says the interest has been global, including club and international opportunities in Europe. 'I think we're open-minded,' he said. 'I wanted this time to just reset, and again put some energy into my family, put some energy into some other things and just breathe. And then be ready to see what is the best opportunity. I think there were some good opportunities but the timing just didn't feel right. It felt like I was rushing into things at a time that I needed just to take some time.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'When it comes, it could be the U.K., could be Europe, could be North America — men's, women's, international, club,' he added. 'We're looking at all the opportunities at the moment.' Herdman recently talked to Plymouth Argyle, a team in England's third tier. The job went to 35-year-old Tom Cleverley, the former Manchester United, Everton and Watford midfielder who was fired as Watford coach last month after a 14th-place finish in the second-tier Championship. Herdman is headed back to the United Kingdom this week and plans to talk to another club, as well as catch up with Dan Ashworth, chief football officer of England's Football Association. 'I'm not out of the game, that's for sure,' he said. 'I'm looking and I'm speaking to different people. You just have to get the right (job). That's what I've learned. At my age now … I think I know myself. I've had some good experiences. I know what the right opportunity can look like, something that's transformative.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He says his family will 'embrace' the right choice. The hiatus from coaching is his first in more than 30 years. But it hasn't slowed him down. 'I've been busy as hell, to be honest,' Herdman said with a chuckle. 'I've just treated it like I'm still at work. Just getting up and really smashing every day. I've enjoyed it, really enjoyed it. Even though it hasn't been football per se, I've stayed bloody busy.' Herdman, an accomplished public speaker, estimates he has done some 200 corporate talks over the last 13 years. His app, which should be out later this summer, allows him to house such content while creating a leadership training program on 'how to unlock potential.' 'There's a few things I'm looking to bring out in the summer while I'm not on the sidelines,' he said. 'Hopefully I get some things out before I get back in to my real passion.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Last week, he delivered a virtual keynote address on transformational leadership at an annual conference of NHL coaches in Toronto. 'Life outside of football, it's been good,' he said brightly. 'I was nervous at how it was going to feel on daily basis. But I've enjoyed it.' When Herdman left TFC, he said it was 'the right time for me to step away from the club, as the organization defines its vision for the future.' His departure was linked by many to the Canada Soccer investigation arising from the drone-spying scandal at the Paris Olympics that cost women's coach Bev Priestman her job. Priestman, assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joey Lombardi were handed one-year suspensions from FIFA and are no longer with Canada Soccer. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In March, a disciplinary committee into Herdman concluded with the former Canada coach receiving a written admonishment. The disciplinary hearing, conducted by a three-person panel independent of Canada Soccer, came after Herdman was cited in the report by Sonia Regenbogen of the law firm Mathews, Dinsdale and Clark into the spying scandal. The Regenbogen report, commissioned by Canada Soccer and released in a redacted form in November, concluded that it was clear the 'practice of conducting surreptitious surveillance of opponents' predated the Paris Olympics. Herdman is looking forward not back these days. 'That chapter is closed,' he said. 'The support from players past and present behind the scenes who came forward to support me and defend our culture was overwhelming,' he added. 'And to be honest, humbling. Really humbling. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'It showed for me, you talk about brotherhood and sisterhood, it was real. In difficult times, people come together. Just a massive thanks to the players and staff that supported me through that period.' Asked if he believes that he did nothing wrong, Herdman replied: 'I'll keep saying this. The chapter is well and truly closed. I made my case very clearly to Canada Soccer and their response was not even a yellow card … That was the outcome, a letter of admonishment.' Herdman took over the Canadian women's team in 2011 and switched to the Canadian men in January 2018. He quit Canada Soccer in August 2023 to take over Toronto FC. He led the Canadian women to two Olympics, winning bronze in 2012 and 2016 and took the Canadian men to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar — their first trip to the sport's showcase since 1986.
Winnipeg Free Press
6 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
John Herdman keeping busy while he looks for the next coaching job
John Herdman has been busy since stepping down as Toronto FC coach on Nov. 29. He has been involved with daughter Lilly's under-14 soccer team, spent time working on an high-performance app called 'Live to Win' as well as mentoring coaches and doing some World Cup-related work for Sky Sports in England. Herdman, who turns 50 next month, is also looking for his next coaching job but says the time and position have to be right. 'There's been a lot of opportunities over the last seven months,' he said in an interview. 'But I made a commitment to (wife) Clare that we just be patient, (that) we look and pick the right opportunity. There's been some good ones, but location, timing, just weren't right.' He says the interest has been global, including club and international opportunities in Europe. 'I think we're open-minded,' he said. 'I wanted this time to just reset, and again put some energy into my family, put some energy into some other things and just breathe. And then be ready to see what is the best opportunity. I think there were some good opportunities but the timing just didn't feel right. It felt like I was rushing into things at a time that I needed just to take some time.' 'When it comes, it could be the U.K., could be Europe, could be North America — men's, women's, international, club,' he added. 'We're looking at all the opportunities at the moment.' Herdman recently talked to Plymouth Argyle, a team in England's third tier. The job went to 35-year-old Tom Cleverley, the former Manchester United, Everton and Watford midfielder who was fired as Watford coach last month after a 14th-place finish in the second-tier Championship. Herdman is headed back to the United Kingdom this week and plans to talk to another club, as well as catch up with Dan Ashworth, chief football officer of England's Football Association. 'I'm not out of the game, that's for sure,' he said. 'I'm looking and I'm speaking to different people. You just have to get the right (job). That's what I've learned. At my age now … I think I know myself. I've had some good experiences. I know what the right opportunity can look like, something that's transformative.' He says his family will 'embrace' the right choice. The hiatus from coaching is his first in more than 30 years. But it hasn't slowed him down. 'I've been busy as hell, to be honest,' Herdman said with a chuckle. 'I've just treated it like I'm still at work. Just getting up and really smashing every day. I've enjoyed it, really enjoyed it. Even though it hasn't been football per se, I've stayed bloody busy.' Herdman, an accomplished public speaker, estimates he has done some 200 corporate talks over the last 13 years. His app, which should be out later this summer, allows him to house such content while creating a leadership training program on 'how to unlock potential.' 'There's a few things I'm looking to bring out in the summer while I'm not on the sidelines,' he said. 'Hopefully I get some things out before I get back in to my real passion.' Last week, he delivered a virtual keynote address on transformational leadership at an annual conference of NHL coaches in Toronto. 'Life outside of football, it's been good,' he said brightly. 'I was nervous at how it was going to feel on daily basis. But I've enjoyed it.' When Herdman left TFC, he said it was 'the right time for me to step away from the club, as the organization defines its vision for the future.' His departure was linked by many to the Canada Soccer investigation arising from the drone-spying scandal at the Paris Olympics that cost women's coach Bev Priestman her job. Priestman, assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joey Lombardi were handed one-year suspensions from FIFA and are no longer with Canada Soccer. In March, a disciplinary committee into Herdman concluded with the former Canada coach receiving a written admonishment. The disciplinary hearing, conducted by a three-person panel independent of Canada Soccer, came after Herdman was cited in the report by Sonia Regenbogen of the law firm Mathews, Dinsdale and Clark into the spying scandal. The Regenbogen report, commissioned by Canada Soccer and released in a redacted form in November, concluded that it was clear the 'practice of conducting surreptitious surveillance of opponents' predated the Paris Olympics. Herdman is looking forward not back these days. 'That chapter is closed,' he said. 'The support from players past and present behind the scenes who came forward to support me and defend our culture was overwhelming,' he added. 'And to be honest, humbling. Really humbling. 'It showed for me, you talk about brotherhood and sisterhood, it was real. In difficult times, people come together. Just a massive thanks to the players and staff that supported me through that period.' Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Asked if he believes that he did nothing wrong, Herdman replied: 'I'll keep saying this. The chapter is well and truly closed. I made my case very clearly to Canada Soccer and their response was not even a yellow card … That was the outcome, a letter of admonishment.' Herdman took over the Canadian women's team in 2011 and switched to the Canadian men in January 2018. He quit Canada Soccer in August 2023 to take over Toronto FC. He led the Canadian women to two Olympics, winning bronze in 2012 and 2016 and took the Canadian men to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar — their first trip to the sport's showcase since 1986. — This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2025.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Governor says N.J. World Cup will be ‘welcoming' to fans, despite Trump immigration crackdown
Gov. Phil Murphy speaking at a World Cup-related event in Liberty State Park on June 11, 2025. (Jake Hirsch/Governor's Office.) As anticipation builds for New Jersey hosting the World Cup next summer, anxieties are also swirling among international soccer fans worried they'll be targeted by Trump administration immigration policies. But Gov. Phil Murphy, who championed bringing FIFA's soccer tournament to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, said he's not concerned about that and is optimistic it'll be a 'blowout success and a safe World Cup.' 'Based on all the vibrations I hear, and we hear a lot, we're obviously working very closely with the administration, with FIFA. This is going to be done in a first-class, welcoming way,' Murphy said at a World Cup-related event at Liberty State Park in Jersey City Wednesday. Next year's World Cup will be the biggest in history, with 48 teams and three host countries — the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The tournament will take place from June 11 to July 19, with eight matches to be played at MetLife Stadium, including the final. More than 1 million people are expected to travel from across the world to attend the matches. Camille Varlack, a deputy mayor to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, claims it will generate as much as $3.4 billion in economic revenue for the region. Varlack said up to 70% of that will benefit New York City, which is New Jersey's host partner. Alex Lasry, CEO of the host committee for New Jersey's matches, urged tourists who may be worried to apply for a visa early and follow all the required steps. Lasry is focused on making sure everyone has a good time, he stressed. 'The world doesn't stop for these sporting events, and you have to go with the flow and make sure you're able to adapt, be a part of, and make sure that you're able to put on a successful event, despite geopolitics,' he said. Last month, Vice President J.D. Vance made an ominous warning to fans planning to visit for the most popular sporting event in the world. 'Of course everybody is welcome to come and see this incredible event. I know we'll have visitors probably from close to 100 countries. We want them to come. We want them to celebrate. We want them to watch the game,' he said. 'But when the time is up, they'll have to go home. Otherwise, they'll have to talk to Secretary Noem,' referencing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. Noem oversees U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Adding to some fans' unease, President Donald Trump's travel ban and visa restrictions on nearly two dozen countries — including Iran, which qualified for the tournament — also went into effect this week. Officials Wednesday said that doesn't apply to athletes for the World Cup. 'I don't want to speak for the president, but where it is today versus where it lands a year from today, a long road to travel between now and then,' Murphy said. 'But anybody who qualifies, based on everything I know, is going to be welcomed whether their games are in the United States, Canada, or Mexico.' Philadelphia host committee CEO Meg Kane appears more anxious about how Trump administration policies will affect the tournament, telling The Guardian that officials are 'planning within uncertainty.' 'There are certainly things that are happening at the national level, the international level. There are going to be geopolitical issues that we don't even know right now that are going to affect the tournament next year,' Kane told the outlet. The focus of Wednesday's event was to mark the one-year countdown to the first match. Liberty State Park will be transformed into an official 'fan fest' site for watch parties for all 104 matches. Murphy noted that Major League Soccer, the professional league in the U.S. and Canada, was founded in response to the United States hosting the 1994 World Cup. 'I can only imagine what will be born out of this World Cup, and most importantly, in the communities in the region on both sides of the Hudson,' Murphy said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Nahar Net
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Human Rights Watch warns of migrant worker deaths in 2034 World Cup host KSA
by Naharnet Newsdesk 14 May 2025, 15:40 Human Rights Watch on Wednesday said grave abuses were being committed on giant construction sites in Saudi Arabia and warned the risks to migrant workers could increase as the building of stadiums for the 2034 World Cup gathers pace. HRW said "scores of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia die in gruesome yet avoidable workplace-related accidents, including falling from buildings, electrocution, and even decapitation". The NGO, which has studied nearly 50 cases of deaths in Saudi Arabia, said Saudi authorities had "failed to adequately protect workers from preventable deaths, investigate workplace safety incidents, and ensure timely and adequate compensation for families" including through life insurance policies and benefits to survivors. "The risks of occupational deaths and injuries are further increasing as the Saudi government ramps up construction work for the 2034 World Cup as well as other 'giga-projects'," HRW added. The Gulf kingdom was handed the right to host the 2034 World Cup at a FIFA Congress last December despite concerns about its human rights record, the risks to migrant laborers and criminalization of same-sex relationships. It was the only candidate. The NGO called on FIFA to ensure all work-related deaths in Saudi Arabia are properly investigated and that bereaved families receive compensation. - 'Long and burdensome' - FIFA has committed to establishing a workers' welfare system, which it says includes "dedicated mandatory standards and enforcement mechanisms applicable to all companies and workers involved in... World Cup-related construction and service delivery" in Saudi Arabia. But HRW said football's world governing body did not provide "details on concrete measures to prevent, investigate, and compensate migrant worker deaths such as risk-based heat protection measures or life insurance". The NGO claimed "FIFA is knowingly risking yet another tournament that will unnecessarily come at a grave human cost", referencing the decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. Similar concerns over workers' welfare dogged Qatar ahead of its hosting of international football's showpiece tournament. Amnesty International and other rights groups claimed thousands of migrant workers died in the lead-up to the 2022 tournament, though Doha has said only 37 workers on World Cup projects perished -- and only three in work-related accidents. HRW stated in its report that the majority of migrant worker deaths in Saudi Arabia are attributed to "natural causes" and are therefore neither investigated nor compensated. According to figures provided by the NGO, for example, 74 percent of 1,420 Indian migrant worker deaths recorded at the Indian embassy in Riyadh in 2023 were attributed to natural causes. HRW added "even work-related death cases categorized as such in a migrant worker's death certificate are sometimes not compensated as they should be according to Saudi law and international labor standards". "In migrant death cases that are compensated, the process is long and burdensome," the report said, providing an example of one such compensation process that took a decade to be completed. "My sons are 11 and 13 years old. When my husband died, they were 11 months and two years old. If we had received compensation right after his death, it would have provided so much relief," the wife of a deceased worker, who was not named, told HRW. In response to the report, FIFA shared with AFP a letter it sent last month to HRW from its secretary general Mattias Grafstrom. The letter says Saudi Arabia has "in the past years been investing heavily in the development of its society and economy", using international companies. Grafstrom notes that Saudi Arabia "has taken significant steps to reform its labor laws since 2018", including the abolition of parts of the kafala system which ties workers to their employers, and introducing standardized contracts for workers. The Saudi government, he says, has also committed to working with the United Nations' International Labor Organization (ILO) "on the further expansion and effective implementation of these reforms". "In line with its human rights commitments, FIFA seeks to play its part in ensuring strong protections for workers employed by third parties in the construction of FIFA World Cup sites," Grafstrom adds. AFP has also contacted the Saudi government for comment.
Int'l Business Times
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Human Rights Watch Warns Of Migrant Worker Deaths In 2034 World Cup Host Saudi Arabia
Human Rights Watch on Wednesday said grave abuses were being committed on giant construction sites in Saudi Arabia and warned the risks to migrant workers could increase as the building of stadiums for the 2034 World Cup gathers pace. HRW said "scores of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia die in gruesome yet avoidable workplace-related accidents, including falling from buildings, electrocution, and even decapitation". The NGO, which has studied nearly 50 cases of deaths in Saudi Arabia, said Saudi authorities had "failed to adequately protect workers from preventable deaths, investigate workplace safety incidents, and ensure timely and adequate compensation for families" including through life insurance policies and benefits to survivors. "The risks of occupational deaths and injuries are further increasing as the Saudi government ramps up construction work for the 2034 World Cup as well as other 'giga-projects'," HRW added. The Gulf kingdom was handed the right to host the 2034 World Cup at a FIFA Congress last December despite concerns about its human rights record, the risks to migrant labourers and criminalisation of same-sex relationships. It was the only candidate. The NGO called on FIFA to ensure all work-related deaths in Saudi Arabia are properly investigated and that bereaved families receive compensation. FIFA has committed to establishing a workers' welfare system, which it says includes "dedicated mandatory standards and enforcement mechanisms applicable to all companies and workers involved in... World Cup-related construction and service delivery" in Saudi Arabia. But HRW said football's world governing body did not provide "details on concrete measures to prevent, investigate, and compensate migrant worker deaths such as risk-based heat protection measures or life insurance". The NGO claimed "FIFA is knowingly risking yet another tournament that will unnecessarily come at a grave human cost", referencing the decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. Similar concerns over workers' welfare dogged Qatar ahead of its hosting of international football's showpiece tournament. Amnesty International and other rights groups claimed thousands of migrant workers died in the lead-up to the 2022 tournament, though Doha has said only 37 workers on World Cup projects perished -- and only three in work-related accidents. HRW stated in its report that the majority of migrant worker deaths in Saudi Arabia are attributed to "natural causes" and are therefore neither investigated nor compensated. According to figures provided by the NGO, for example, 74 percent of 1,420 Indian migrant worker deaths recorded at the Indian embassy in Riyadh in 2023 were attributed to natural causes. HRW added "even work-related death cases categorised as such in a migrant worker's death certificate are sometimes not compensated as they should be according to Saudi law and international labour standards". "In migrant death cases that are compensated, the process is long and burdensome," the report said, providing an example of one such compensation process that took a decade to be completed. "My sons are 11 and 13 years old. When my husband died, they were 11 months and two years old. If we had received compensation right after his death, it would have provided so much relief," the wife of a deceased worker, who was not named, told HRW. In response to the report, FIFA shared with AFP a letter it sent last month to HRW from its secretary general Mattias Grafstrom. The letter says Saudi Arabia has "in the past years been investing heavily in the development of its society and economy", using international companies. Grafstrom notes that Saudi Arabia "has taken significant steps to reform its labour laws since 2018", including the abolition of parts of the kafala system which ties workers to their employers, and introducing standardised contracts for workers. The Saudi government, he says, has also committed to working with the United Nations' International Labour Organization (ILO) "on the further expansion and effective implementation of these reforms". "In line with its human rights commitments, FIFA seeks to play its part in ensuring strong protections for workers employed by third parties in the construction of FIFA World Cup sites," Grafstrom adds. AFP has also contacted the Saudi government for comment.
