The first week of world football’s January transfer window has come and gone with no blockbuster deals being done. The big European clubs have held their cards, and their wallets, close to their chests. But in what has been a quiet window so far, one of the most puzzling transfer sagas in recent memory has emerged. And it’s happening right here in North America.
As unbelievable as it sounds, Peter Odemwingie’s antics from last January have been outdone. Vancouver Whitecaps forward Camilo Sanvezzo’s attempted move to top-flight Mexican club Querétaro has left fans at a loss for words.
Camilo, who has been with the Whitecaps organization since they first joined Major League Soccer in 2011, was rumoured to be on the way out as early as the beginning of December. First-tier Norwegian side Rosenborg BK was said to have enquired about the 25-year-old Brazilian, but those discussions did not result in an agreement for a January move.
At the start of the New Year a report out of ESPN claimed that Camilo was close to signing with Querétaro, following “weeks of negotiations”. However, the Whitecaps were quick to deny the report.
In comes the first curveball: The Whitecaps had picked up Camilo’s 2014 contract option back in November. Querétaro believed that Camilo’s contract was set to expire on December 31st, which it would have had the option not been picked up. If Querétaro wanted Camilo, they would have to speak directly to the Whitecaps organization, which they had not.
In comes the second: There were rumours being thrown around that Camilo did not want to stay in Vancouver unless he was paid four times what he earned in 2013 (around $250,000 according to the MLS Players Union). Camilo would not just become a Designated Player with a salary of a million dollars. He would be the tenth-highest paid player in MLS, in the same conversation as Thierry Henry, Robbie Keane and Clint Dempsey. Whether or not Camilo, who scored 22 goals in 2013 en route to the MLS Golden Boot, is worth the investment is another debate altogether.
And finally, the third: On Monday morning, two photos emerged on Querétaro’s official website and Twitter account. Both showed a beaming Camilo wearing a full Querétaro kit, standing inside what looked to be a medical room as if he had just passed a physical. Both photos were captioned with welcoming words for the incoming player.
That afternoon, Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi addressed Vancouver media by saying “He is our player”. The league stood by this message. Lenarduzzi went on to explain how even if a deal had been reached, Camilo would not have been able to play for Querétaro because his International Transfer Certificate, or ITC, was still property of the Canadian Soccer Association.
Querétaro have since removed both pictures of Camilo from its website and Twitter account. For the time being, it appears that the Whitecaps will be moving forward with Camilo on the team.
There is no one party that should take all the blame for this saga, despite Camilo’s agent making a very compelling case. The blame should rather be put on MLS’ system that is plagued by a lack of transparency.
Major League Soccer is unique in that it negotiates and owns the contracts of its players, rather than putting that power in the hands of the individual clubs. The league is also unique in that it rarely discloses the details of the contracts their players sign.
There have been very few exceptions to this lack of contract transparency in recent seasons. The contract terms of both Henry and Dempsey were made relatively public, simply because they were both high-profile signings for the New York Red Bulls and Seattle Sounders respectively. When David Beckham first signed with the Los Angeles Galaxy back in 2007, it was thought that the league was being transparent about his terms as well.
Seven years later, it is clear that they were not. When Beckham signed his second contract with the Galaxy after the 2011 season, it was thought to be a two-year deal. As it turned out, the second year was an option, allowing Beckham to leave as he did after the 2012 season, not 2013.
As Beckham’s playing days have ended and his pursuit of an MLS expansion franchise continues, his contract has become even more unclear. It was believed that as part of his first deal with the league, Beckham would have the right to purchase an expansion franchise for a discounted fee. Though this report has seemingly been confirmed, new questions have risen over how long this discount would be available to the former England captain.
Too often has it been heard that “As per team and [more importantly] league policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed” when an MLS club completes a transaction. A few days before the Camilo story blew up, MLSsoccer.com managing editor Jonah Freedman called for “transparency on league-wide initiatives” in 2014 and beyond. Freedman’s call has not been answered, and the results have clearly not been pretty.
As much as the people involved in Camilo’s attempted transfer were misinformed, the league needs to take responsibility as a chief informer. To prevent the same mistake from happening again, there is only one solution. MLS needs to make the terms of the contracts of its players clear and accessible to all clubs, fans, and even players for that matter.
As R.G. Risch once said, “Respect is a two-way street. If you want to get it, you’ve got to give it”. Now more than ever, MLS must start giving its fair share of respect.
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