Olivier Renard would leave the CF Montreal ship

In the morning, the worst scenario seemed to be confirmed. Informers spoke of an unequivocal departure of Olivier Renard from CF Montreal. Tuesday at 9 p.m. The Press learned that the two parties are not yet ready to confirm the divorce.

As fragile as he is, Olivier Renard still has a professional link with the CFM. This explains why no member of the organization, nor Olivier Renard, spoke. Our sources did not tell us the content of the current discussions.

Even Laurent Courtois, the only member of the club made available to journalists since last week, with the exception of the players, remained evasive on the question when questioned about it on Tuesday after his team’s match against Forge, in the Canadian Championship.

“Nothing was communicated to me officially,” he said. We also questioned him about the rumors concerning Mathieu Choinière, last Friday, for lack of a higher-ranking person to whom to ask our questions.

“As I said recently in Mathieu’s case, as long as nothing has been said to me from one side or the other… It’s been a long weekend. Every day there are little things. I would prefer to talk about the match for today. »

At the end of the day, Courtois sent a cryptic message to X. “Together,” he wrote, with a photo of his group of players in the locker room.

Bryce Duke, scorer in this 1-1 draw, took to the podium after his coach. Did the news impact your preparation for your battle against the Forge?

“Next question.” »

We feel the discomfort.

The Choinière case, the last straw

Journalist Tony Marinaro was the first to announce the departure of the head of sports management and vice-president of the CFM, on X. RDS subsequently confirmed it, as did The Athletic’s informant, Tom Bogert. The latter indicates that there had been friction for some time with owner Joey Saputo.

According to our information, the Mathieu Choinière file has, more recently, ignited the powder. The sports director and vice-president of the CFM completely agreed with the idea of ​​paying the Quebec midfielder his fair value, that is to honor his requests of approximately $600,000. There was room on the payroll, and Renard saw no problem with it.

But the directive not to acquiesce, or at least to offer him $350,000, well below his expectations, came from above. These figures come to us from Christine Roger, from Radio-Canada.

Perhaps the directive came from Gabriel Gervais? It’s not impossible, but it would be surprising. The president of the CFM has always extolled the virtues of a local starting team.

“These players remain our base,” said Gervais in an interview with The Press, in November 2023. Players like Mathieu Choinière and Jonathan Sirois have said they are happy here. They want to continue playing in MLS. […] You can have a great career with CF Montreal. »

Knowing this, who else is higher than Gabriel Gervais?

The board of directors, chaired by Joey Saputo.

So, if sports management does not have the prerogative to use the budgetary envelope provided to it as it wishes, what leverage does it have left to operate in its own way?

Like Gervais, Renard has also always said he wants to trust Quebec and Canadian players. And he acted in this sense: on August 28, 2023 against New England, the team put six players from here in its starting lineup. Not to mention that Choinière and Sirois were voted most valuable player and best defensive player, respectively, at the end of the last campaign.

“Parents tell me that even if I am not a person from Quebec, I pay attention to players from Quebec,” said Renard in the 2023 assessment. While people, before me, who were Quebecois, did not pay attention. It’s certainly nice to do and hear that. »

His record is not perfect, that said. Players from the province, like Sean Rea who arrived with great promise, have never managed to carve out a position. Keesean Ferdinand didn’t really get a chance to showcase himself before he was released. He didn’t just make friends in Quebec soccer. But it must be admitted that the Quebec contingent was considered more than ever under the Belgian DS.

In the event of Renard’s departure, Mathieu Choinière would lose the sports director who defended him in front of his bosses. Will his exchange request finally come to fruition? We can definitely think so.

Catastrophic

The sporting director would therefore leave the club ship after an association of four and a half years. In the summer of 2022, a contract extension was announced for an indefinite period.

“The agreement with Olivier reflects a common desire to continue the collaboration begun in 2019 and now positions him at the heart of the corporate structure that we are putting in place,” Joey Saputo said in the press release. I have always been convinced that he should stay with us and, more particularly, as an employee and executive of the organization. Since his arrival, Olivier has largely contributed to the development of the team. »

News of his departure today has the potential to be catastrophic. Under Olivier Renard, finally, CF Montreal has found a certain balance in its sporting record. A plan was in place. We followed him with care and rigor.

For the first time in its history, the Bleu-blanc-noir sold players at a big profit, such as Djordje Mihailovic, Alistair Johnston and Ismaël Koné. The CFM presented itself as a club that could become a springboard for young players, from here and elsewhere, dreaming of Europe.

By executing cunning trades, Renard and his deputy Vassili Cremanzidis managed to save money and improve the team at the same time. The Aaron Herrera trade last offseason, which landed Raheem Edwards and Ruan for the same amount, is the best example of this. He didn’t only have good hits – just think of the Bjørn Johnsen fiasco – but there was, at least, a common thread in his work.

Perhaps Vassili Cremanzidis, an ace in managing salaries and complicated MLS rules, will take over. Perhaps he too will try to find an employer who will let him work as he pleases.

The collapse of CF Montreal’s sports management does not bode well. And yet, everything was going so well in 2024.

With Alexandre Pratt, The Press