MLS to get Vancouver Whitecaps investigated through an independent firm

Major League Soccer will conduct an independent review of the Vancouver Whitecaps‘ handling of misconduct allegations against former coaches Bob Birarda and Hubert Busby. The league has brought in Janice Rubin and Melody Jahanzadeh of Rubin Thomlinson LLP to investigate allegations brought by members of the organization’s women’s team.

“The investigation will consider the club’s internal processes and the overall culture at the time of the allegations, including what steps it took in response to the allegations,” MLS said on Thursday.

“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.”

The Whitecaps also issued a statement through their CEO Axel Schuster.

US player Malloree Enoch gave the details about the allegations of inappropriate behavior by Busby between 2010 and 2011 in an interview with the Guardian. Enoch said Busby promised to sign her as a player, then repeatedly made her room with him on trips and eventually attempted to pressure her for sex.

Enoch said she took up the matter with Dan Lenarduzzi, the team’s soccer development director after she signed in 2011, but the organisation took no action. Enoch said it culminated in a group of players bringing their concerns about Busby and their overall treatment as players to management.

Busby’s contract with the now-defunct Whitecaps women’s team expired in October 2011. He was appointed head coach of Jamaica’s women’s team in January 2020.

Allegations against Birada surfaced in 2019 when former Whitecaps player Ciara McCormack detailed the alleged abuse, with others coming forward with similar accusations.

Birada, a former Canadian national team coach, was let go by the Whitecaps in 2008 after an internal investigation. He is currently facing charges including six counts of sexual exploitation, two counts of sexual assault, and one count of child luring, involving allegations from 1998-2008.

(With AP inputs)