Former athlete Charmaine Brooks took over the reins of the Canadian Football Federation (Soccer Canada) on Wednesday, March 1. She succeeds Nick Bontis who resigned as Canadian football is mired in a crisis over gender inequality. Charmaine Crooks thus becomes the first woman to be appointed to this post, the federation announced in a press release. Involved in various sports organizations such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) or FIFA, Charmaine Brooks also became the “first person of colorto take up this position after serving as vice-president for two years.
“I understand the calls to get it rightes”, announced the first Canadian to have participated in five Olympic Games. “The work ahead for our organization, our sport and for the players who wear our Canadian jerseys is as important to me as all the races I have participated in.said the 1984 Los Angeles Games silver medalist.
“I know and understand the calls to get it right and I am sure we will be able to produce real change“, she added, referring to the conflict between the federation and the women’s and men’s teams. At the beginning of February, the Canadian players had led a one-day strike to denounce gender inequalities and the lack of funding, an approach supported by the men’s team.
It should be noted that other national football federations have placed women at their head in recent years. These include Cindy Parlow who leads the American federation, Debbie Hewitt who leads the English federation or even Lise Klaveness in Norway.
