Four community soccer associations are going to court, alleging the Alberta Soccer Association (ASA) breached its own bylaws when it removed its president from his position last month following an independent investigation that corroborated allegations of misconduct against him.
In an application filed in the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta in Edmonton on Dec. 5, the Edmonton Minor Soccer Association, St. Albert Soccer Association, Battle River Soccer Association, and Calgary Women’s Soccer Association asked a judge to delay a special meeting, originally scheduled for Dec. 9, where ASA members were to vote on whether to endorse the ouster of organization president JR Figueiredo, who was removed from his position last month.
The applicants argue such a vote is improper because Figueiredo’s suspension from his position was flawed. They are seeking an injunction reinstating Figueiredo until the ASA completes a proper disciplinary hearing under its own rules.
A judge will not hear the matter before May, at the earliest, a person familiar with the matter told TSN. Figueiredo will remain suspended until a judge hears the matter.
Each of the four local soccer organizations declined to comment when contacted by TSN, as did Alberta Soccer and Figueiredo. In a statement, a Canada Soccer spokesperson wrote, “Canada Soccer is aware of this provincial matter and is monitoring to ensure the Alberta Soccer Association complies with its obligations as a Canada Soccer member.”
The ASA’s discipline process has been built to primarily address on-field issues. The dispute highlights how vulnerable sport organizations become when their governance structures are not modern, independent, and equipped to handle workplace harassment complaints and allegations of serious misconduct by leadership.
The dispute could have serious implications on amateur soccer in Alberta, which has 81,000 registered players, fourth most in the country behind Ontario, Quebec and B.C., according to Canada Soccer’s 2024 annual report. It’s possible that Canada Soccer could suspend the membership of Alberta Soccer if Figueiredo is reinstated over the opposition of the board, a person familiar with the matter told TSN.
If its membership was suspended, Alberta Soccer participants would not be allowed to compete in any Canada Soccer-sanctioned amateur tournaments, would have no voting rights at Canada Soccer annual meetings or access to referee or coach clinics, and would not have access to Canada Soccer-approved referees for provincial-level matches.
If the dispute went on long enough, it could also impact Alberta Soccer’s payments of annual player fee revenue to the national federation.
According to court documents, the conflict within the organization began when a complaint was filed in August alleging workplace harassment and inappropriate conduct by Figueiredo, who was elected president in February. The ASA board retained external investigator Veritas Solutions in August.
According to its website, Edmonton-based Veritas conducts workplace culture assessments and administrative investigations for corporate, regulatory, municipal government, faith-based and sport organizations.
Following an investigation, Veritas recommended that Figueiredo be removed from his position.
According to a Nov. 17 summary report, which was obtained by TSN, Veritas investigator Brodie Stenhouse interviewed the complainant, as well as Figueiredo and 10 witnesses. Stenhouse investigated six allegations of workplace misconduct, the report said.
“Figueiredo’s conduct went far beyond what is acceptable in the workplace,” reads part of Stenhouse’s report, which was cited in a Dec. 1 letter sent by the ASA to its member clubs. According to another section of the report citing in the ASA letter, Figueiredo “wielded his authority and power in an aggressive and abusive manner” and used his power or authority “in an attempt to coerce another person to engage in inappropriate activities.”
Edmonton Minor Soccer Association general manager Dragos Niculescu, who supported postponing the Dec. 9 vote, wrote in a Dec. 5 affidavit filed in court in connection with the case said that Veritas determined that “Figueiredo, among other things, engaged in verbal threats, yelling, criticism, interference with ASA staff operations and roles, and demonstrated a pattern of behaviour of acting outside his governance role and creating a hostile work environment…”
The four member associations challenging Figueiredo’s removal contend that the ASA bylaws say that before a director can be suspended or removed, a discipline committee must be formed and must conduct an investigation, convene a hearing with at least seven days’ notice to the director, allow the director to explain their actions, and vote by a two-thirds majority on any recommended sanction. The director must then receive written notice and retain the right to appeal to the membership, which would be decided by a two-thirds vote at a later meeting, court documents say.
That process was not followed, the applicants allege.
On Nov. 4, the ASA board wrote to its members stating that it had decided to remove Figueiredo and suspend him from all ASA activities for at least five years. The letter acknowledged the bylaws’ disciplinary process but dismissed it as unworkable for dealing with allegations against a sitting president, claiming conflicts of interest.
According to the court filing, Edmonton and District Soccer Association president Brad Odsen wrote to Alberta Soccer on Nov. 16 outlining concerns about the board’s actions and asking questions about the process.
A day later, ASA circulated notice of a virtual special meeting scheduled for Dec. 9, where members would be asked to vote on a single special resolution: to “reject and vacate” the disciplinary actions taken by the ASA board against Figueiredo.
