The provincial deputy for Marquette, Enrio Ciccone, paid a vibrant tribute to a builder of Quebec soccer in the chamber on Thursday.
In a speech lasting just over a minute, the former NHL hockey player highlighted Francis Millien’s contribution to the development of soccer in Quebec.
Himself a very talented former soccer player, Ciccone explained the context in which Millien began to get involved.
“Mr. Millien played in four teams of the National Soccer League of Quebec during the 1970s, but seeing the need and the potential, he invited his father, the late Robert Millien, to settle in the Belle Province.
A shock
He then specifies that the shock for the father was great because he arrived in a country where everything had to be done in the world of soccer.
“For Millien father, the sporting shock was drastic. Not a round ball in the streets or in schools, he is sick of it. It was in 1979.
“Forty-four years later, thanks to generations of young people, coaches, elite and amateur players, thanks to the multiple technical programs and competitions he [Francis] has created, to its benevolent present in sporting events, in the media and within organizations, soccer is no longer an anecdote in Quebec, but a sport that federates, unites and fills the hearts of players and supporters.”
According to Enrico Ciccone, soccer has undergone a great evolution in Quebec due to the involvement of Francis Millien.
“Mr. Mililen, without your generosity, soccer would not be what it has become, an inclusive and competitive sport, a pleasure, a specialty, jobs, a present and a future.