SLOBODIAN: Leave this man alone to teach soccer to kids

Guilty! Hold on. Not guilty! Yes, for sure not guilty concluded an appeal panel not once, but twice now.An Alberta Soccer Association (ASA) appeal panel has ruled for a second time that Central Alberta Soccer Association (CASA) President Jon Mulder didn’t violate the ASA code of conduct when he opposed Marxist sexualized woke ideology — diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) —infiltrating and infecting the fun sport.Surely the ASA that doggedly pursued Mulder for five months, is relieved. It no longer needs to risk violating provincial grant rules or distract itself from its real duties like being good stewards of nearly $340,000 in 2022 in mostly taxpayers grants and $1,939,748 in membership fees. And it can focus on looking after the well-being and interests of all players, like it should.It can apologize to a dedicated, long-time volunteer and just leave the guy alone to look after his players. That would be the grownup thing to do. Move on. End of story? Maybe, maybe not.The ASA gets another kick at the ball to punish Mulder for exercising his right to free speech in an internal email to 10 members that was leaked to a DEI sympathetic CBC reporter, according to the biased story, last fall. The ASA was given 10 days to appeal to the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA). Uh-oh. That would be the body determined to force DEI on soccer players as young as age three.Exactly how Mulder violated the code, beyond having an opinion opposing DEI and exercising his Charter right to free speech, is still as muddy as a field after a downpour.Mulder was suspended last October because he said, albeit emphatically, that DEI and the nonsense attached to it doesn’t belong in soccer. He responded to an ASA email invitation — on the request of Canada Soccer — to all member associations looking for ideas on how to improve Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) on local levels.Mulder said the ASA and Soccer Canada were inserting Marxist politics into children’s sports, that only “perverts and predators” push discussing sex and sexuality with other people’s children, and DEI’s radical left-wing ideology discriminates against white males.Instead of proving him wrong (asking the impossible perhaps?), or even speaking with him, the ASA pounced.The ASA merely argued only really, awful haters oppose DEI and accused Mulder of “spewing hate.” Mulder’s character was scorched. He was hauled before a kangaroo court, suspended, banned as a player, coach, and referee.The ASA’s Executive Director Lisa Grant, who led the charge, even tried to forbid Mulder from attending ASA-sanctioned games as a spectator. Ouch. That’s harsh even for the most devout comrades.Mulder appealed and won. The ASA appealed his win. After Mulder’s February 29 hearing, the committee had the wisdom to determine the ASA appeal was problematic.In a March 13 letter, the ASA Appeals Committee “concluded that there was not a sufficient basis to overturn the findings” of the Dec. 6, 2023, Discipline Panel Hearing that declared Mulder not guilty.“As such, there are no sanctions or levies held against you and you are fully eligible to participate in soccer activities,” wrote Cicero Viana, ASA He/Him manager of operations in the Appeals Hearing Decision in the recent letter.“We want to thank you for your time and patience as we worked through this appeal.”Time and patience? How about reimbursing Mulder the thousands of dollars he spent fending off this woke attack?“I am pleased that the appeal committee has ruled in my favour. I look forward — again — to putting this matter behind me and continuing my volunteer work with young people and other adults, like me, who are committed to providing the many benefits of soccer for youth in our communities across Central Alberta,” Mulder told the Western Standard.Mulder’s lawyer Craig Paterson noted that the case could have been informally resolved more than five months ago.“I am pleased that both the disciplinary and appeal committees ruled in Mr. Mulder's favour,” said Paterson.“At this point, I sincerely hope the ASA and all those involved can now move forward — focusing on youth sport together, rather than an issue that two panels, as well as many other stakeholders and community members, believe should be put to rest.”But was the appeal of the appeal merely a step taken to get to the next step? DEI champion Canada Soccer’s Disciplinary Code requires “all possible appeals” to be exhausted before it gets involved.Here and there, DEI is being rejected and starting to gasp its last breaths, recognized for the racist, discriminatory, poisonous ideology it is, yet nonsensically peddled as ‘fair’ treatment. People are fed up with DEI and becoming more vocal and standing up to the bullies.But DEI zealots, who target ‘dissenters’ clench tasty retribution tightly in their jaws and have a tough time with the ‘drop it’ command.The Western Standard reached out to Viana for comment.Will the ASA’s Grant risk looking, well, even more petty and vindictive and forge ahead with another appeal? To please who? The woke ones at Canada Soccer that want to intrude on your children’s minds.This agenda to get Mulder sure looks and smells like ideological and ego-driven persecution. It helps players and families how?Enough. Time to just play ball. Back off already. Drop it!

SLOBODIAN: Leave this man alone to teach soccer to kids

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