Main League Soccer has engaged Janice Rubin and Melody Jahanzadeh of Rubin Thomlinson LLP to conduct an impartial evaluation of the Vancouver Whitecaps‘ dealing with of misconduct allegations introduced by members of the group’s ladies’s crew towards former coaches Bob Birarda and Hubert Busby.
“The investigation will consider the club’s internal processes and overall culture at the time of the allegations, including what steps it took in response to the allegations,” MLS stated on Thursday in a press release.
“The review will also consider the club’s current policies and procedures and provide any recommendations on preventative measures to ensure that all players and staff within the Whitecaps organization work in a safe environment, free of all forms of harassment and fear of retaliation.”
U.S. participant Malloree Enoch detailed allegations of inappropriate habits by Busby between 2010 and 2011 in an interview with the British newspaper, the Guardian. Enoch stated Busby promised to signal her as a participant, then repeatedly made her room with him on journeys and finally tried to strain her for intercourse.
Enoch stated she shared her issues with Dan Lenarduzzi, the crew’s soccer improvement director, after signing in 2011, however no motion was instantly taken. Enoch stated it culminated in a bunch of gamers bringing their issues about Busby and their general remedy as gamers to administration.
Busby’s contract with the now-defunct Whitecaps ladies’s crew expired in October 2011. He was appointed head coach of Jamaica‘s ladies’s crew in January 2020.
In 2019, former Whitecaps participant Ciara McCormack detailed alleged abuse by Birada, with others coming ahead with related accusations.
Birada, a former Canada nationwide crew coach, was let go by the Whitecaps in 2008 after an inside investigation. He’s dealing with expenses together with six counts of sexual exploitation, two counts of sexual assault and one rely of kid luring, involving allegations spanning 20 years from 1998-2008.
Axel Schuster, the chief govt officer of the Whitecaps, stated executives affiliated with the incident have been positioned on administrative depart as MLS investigates. He additionally apologized to Enoch for a way the crew handled her preliminary allegations.
