Andrew Jennings calls for revolution to oust Sunil Gulati

13 Comments

1. 

   Heather Dobrott / Soapboxmom

   May 22, 2017 at 3:25 pm

   Soccer is corrupt from top to bottom. North Texas State Soccer and Garland Soccer are beyond dirty and totally dishonestly run:
   The following issues in Garland Soccer need to be investigated:
   1. Garland Soccer rolls out the red carpet for sexual predators. Garland’s children were harmed by sexual predator Bernardo Mondragon-Guzman. Garland Soccer made numerous promises in the media. “We’re going to do everything we can to protect our children. And if we need to change things, we’ll do, we’ll change things,” David Arciniega, the president and NTSSA board member, blocked every attempt I made to institute proper policies and procedures to keep Garland’s children safe. Garland Soccer has done nothing in response to children being raped.
   2. A director married to a registered for life, level 2 sex offender with a child victim was letting him handle rosters and other records. This director did not drive and this offender accompanied her everywhere. The president, David Arciniega, insisted on keeping her on the board knowing the sex offender would be around at every soccer activity possibly putting our children in danger. This clearly violated Garland’s Loitering ordinance.
   3. This same director and her husband were bragging that they would be meeting the association president, David Arciniega, to discuss construction work for GSA when no open bidding was in progress.
   4. $8,000.00 of “missing funds” has no proper documentation as the board is routinely denied documentation by David Arciniega in violation of state law concerning fiduciary duties.
   5. Garland Soccer Association president, David Arciniega, lied to the GSA member coaches about those “missing funds” claiming there was ongoing litigation between the software provider, Jevin and the payment processor, Corduro. 2 years later no litigation is on record anywhere.
   http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/st-petersburg-little-league-one-of-several-nationwide-missing-money/2299711

   http://www.athleticbusiness.com/business/management-company-gives-little-leaguers-the-run-around.html

   http://wfla.com/2016/10/25/st-pete-little-league-struggling-to-get-by-owed-35000/
   6. A former Coach and director were brought up on phony charges when the player pool placed children of the correct age with their coaching parents. Why would children be placed on teams competing against their own parent’s teams?
   7. The president, David Arciniega, runs this organization like a dictatorship and flouts the GSA, North Texas State and US Youth Soccer by-laws.
   8. State law concerning fiduciary duties is not being followed.
   9. Elections in Garland Soccer have been rigged for years. Referees are brought in and instructed to vote for certain candidates. Aren’t we in America???
   10. Arciniega filed a No Confidence Petition in an attempt to remove me because I spoke on behalf of a candidate running against him. Members are afraid to vote their conscience even though state law concerning fiduciary duty requires directors to act in the best interest of the charity / non-profit.
   11. The number of players and coaches are plummeting as folks leave unhappy with their experience in Garland Soccer.
   12. Garland Soccer has lost almost all of its interleague play with neighboring associations. Richardson, Wylie, Mesquite and Chamber Classic have left Garland Soccer. Plano Soccer will not invite us to join them all. The U13 and up depend on interleague to have enough teams to play in their correct age groups.
   13. The coaches are shut down at meetings and their voices are not heard.
   14. The Garland Soccer Association is operated in a shroud of secrecy even though it is in fact a 501 c 3 charity and should be completely transparent.
   15. Members of the association and the public have not been welcomed to the board meetings.
   16. Board meeting agendas, board meeting minutes and board member reports are kept secret.
   17. GSA has no Ethics Committee as North Texas State requires as Arciniega refuses to form one.
   18. GSA has no A & D Committee as required by the by-laws as David Arciniega refuses to allow one to be formed. The A & D process is completely broken and as protocol and procedures are totally flouted all of the hearings are illegal.
   19. David Arciniega and Kim Verity refused to issue A & D decision letters in direct violation of North Texas rules which places Garland Soccer NOT in Good Standing. I had to spend nearly $40,000.00 taking this group to court and the letter they issued did not result in the required appeal at NTSSA. This organization is totally corrupt and was dishonest in the court papers.
   20. A hearing that was called to decide the placement of a child that was placed on his own father’s team by the player pool was called by David Arciniega without informing this coach that the placement of his child was being decided.
   21. The Garland Soccer website is not in Spanish though there have been numerous requests over the years for that to happen as much of GSA’s player base is simply not being served.
   22. Garland Soccer puts kids in soccer that are in danger themselves and a danger to others as there is no TOPSoccer program in place for kids that would benefit from it. I was working to form a league for special needs players before Arciniega pushed me out. Now, that has been dropped and these wonderful kids are not being served.

   Garland Soccer is totally corrupt! How did David Arciniega get elected to the NTSSA state board when he totally mismanages Garland Soccer and does not deal honestly? I should not have had to file suit to get the issues in Garland resolved for our kids and coaches.

   This organization has coaches in fear of retaliation if they speak out. It is a hostile and unwelcoming environment.

   Check out my on camera interview:
   Garland Soccer Coach Arrested for Child Indecency | CW33 NewsFix

   Reply
2. 

   Cathie Currie

   December 3, 2015 at 7:05 pm

   Mr. Jennings desires to be prosecutor, judge and jury so much that he handed down a Scottish verdict without any evidence, or even a trial.

   Reply
3. 

   OT

   October 13, 2015 at 9:46 am

   One way to get the message to Sunil:

   STOP buying tickets to attend USMNT friendlies, which are nothing more than vehicles for US Soccer to raise money for its coffers.

   This means you, American Outlaws. Don’t attend any more friendlies in person. Period.

   (Remember that Sam’s Army skipped many friendlies before they were displaced by American Outlaws, who are younger and louder, but are more naive in many ways compared to the pre-2007 generation of USMNT supporters. Many of us who were associated with Sam’s Army during its early days in 1995 knew all about Jack Warner and Chuck Blazer. In particular, I heard numerous stories from media members while I was inside the press box to carry out my reporting assignments for the radio station in upstate New York where the infamous Keith Olbermann started broadcasting.)

   When the likes of American Outlaws stop showing up at friendlies en masse, and US Soccer sponsors notice the empty seats behind the goal, then Sunil will face “heat” from those who pay his salary.

   Reply
4. 

   erico

   July 24, 2015 at 3:27 pm

   LIstened to this a few days late, but spooky to hear Gomez’ concerns about the Mexico-Panama game knowing now how it turned out.

   Jennings was awesome, I wish all interviewees were so pointed and entertaining.

   I’m not quite as hopeful as he seems to be about the power of US fans. I’m more a quiet observer than a fiery participant in the local supporter scene here, but I did learn quickly that almost nobody wants to talk about corruption (unless it is very far away and foreign) or match fixing or any of the other major topics that fans in other countries have been talking about for a long time.

   To be honest, I can’t even remember hearing/reading a local fan put it the way Jason did, the reality of wanting to believe in the beautiful game while still being aware of how dirty things might be beneath the surface. Denial and rather militant ignorance are all too common, compartmentalization would be a step forward.

   This will cost everyone hugely if things end up in a huge crash and burn. Italy still hasn’t quite recovered and they started out with so much more to lose. What will happen in the US where soccer still has a much shakier foundation to begin with, despite all the breathless hype, if things continue to be ignored?

   Reply
5. 

   Rich

   July 24, 2015 at 2:17 pm

   Kei,

   It’s very very naive to believe the indictments originating from the US government didn’t have contributions from US Soccer. Either US Soccer raised these concerns of FIFA corruption to the Feds and/or cooperated at the very outset; why otherwise would the US government been involved?
   Contrary to what you see on TV, it would have been dumb for US Soccer to sit in front of the panel to admit they were the whistleblower on FIFA; Whistleblowers notoriously get sacrificed. The goal is to clean up the corruption, not sit in front of Congress and take credit for it.

   If you believe in coincidences in situations like this, then I guess I shouldn’t go into who the tooth-fairy is.

   Reply
6. 

   Rich

   July 24, 2015 at 1:18 pm

   I’m not following Andrew’s logic. If the corruption was as ubiquitous as advised (which I don’t disagree it was worldwide), then wouldn’t all nations heads of soccer need to step down? The problem was no one nation could unilaterally do anything. However, I think someone like Flynn or Gulati did in fact go to the Feds quietly to advise the level of corruption which initiated the charges…ever think of that?

   Reply
   • 

     Kei

     July 24, 2015 at 1:50 pm

     I’m not following your logic. If someone like Flynn or Gulati did in fact go to the Fed quietly to advise the level of corruption which initiated the charges, then Flynn should have had no problems answering any of the questions that were posed to him, and Gulati should have had no problems actually showing up to the hearing in the first place.

     Ever think of that?

     Reply
7. 

   Mad Man Mancuso

   July 21, 2015 at 11:45 am

   I think Andrew should go back to investigating the FA in the mornings and have his “Tea and Strumpets” in the afternoons.

   Reply
8. 

   Flyvanescence

   July 20, 2015 at 12:30 pm

   The one point he made just stood out to me immensely:

   “Senator Moran had said earlier that if US Soccer [Federation] didn’t know [about the corruption going on in the US under Chuck Blazer], then goodness gracious me, they’re not fit for purpose.”

   EXACTLY. All USSF does is collect paychecks and sort of run the national team. They do NOTHING regarding governing the game in this country. SUM and MLS dictate to them, and Gulati and co. are more than happy to just keep collecting the paychecks and sit idly by.

   What’s the Wahlflower group got to say about all this? Nothing? As expected.

   Reply
   • 

     Realest Realist

     July 20, 2015 at 2:43 pm

     SUM + MLS = USSF. This is the inescapable reality of American soccer.

     I found the post-hearing reaction from the usual suspects of the American soccer media to be incredibly revealing, as well. It seemed like a fair few of them were absolving USSF of any blame whatsoever, on the account of them being “powerless” in the grand scheme of FIFA. To that extent, the Wahl’s and the Tannenwald’s of the soccer media probably feel justified in keeping silent about the whole con, as well.

     Access and privilege trump all when it comes to journalism in 2015. And tough questions are an anathema to those who have enough power to grant them to whoever they see fit.

     Reply
     • 

       Flyvanescence

       July 20, 2015 at 3:17 pm

       I know for a fact Tannenwald is a fraud. Wasnt even really a soccer guy until philly.com put him in charge of Union coverage. Guy probably couldnt explain the offside rule or what the difference between a midfield 3 and a flat four is. basic footballing tactics. Through a bunch of cronyism and behind-smooching he has risen thru the ranks of the American soccer media, despite knowing (or really caring) less about the game than Lalas seems to on TV.

       Reply
9. 

   Realest Realist

   July 20, 2015 at 12:14 pm

   He ain’t wrong, folks.

   Either Gulati, Flynn, and other head honchos at US Soccer (including Don Garber himself) was completely and utterly unaware of any number of shady dealings orchestrated by Chuck Blazer, Jack Warner, and the rest of that mob… or they knew about the dirty money being filtered through their midst, and willfully turned a blind eye while the going was good.

   Neither of them could remotely be considered a good look, and quite frankly, they’re both textbook definitions of a “fireable offense.”

   Reply
   • 

     NatureGuy

     February 3, 2016 at 12:51 pm

     Realest Realist: I totally agree……get rid of the whole lot of them running the USSF, including–but not limited to, Don Garber, the “soccer don,” who actually controls US Soccer and the Federation. I say, get rid of all those who refuse to open-up North American soccer….along with my little pitch for #ProRel. (…and, I don’t want to hear any of the “why’s” or “wherefore’s” pro/rel wouldn’t work in N. America—-I do believe I’ve heard them all at this point. There are several different ways to employ pro/rel—-it just takes the will to do it….without Don Garber, without Gulati, without Flynn and any others who choose to stand with them.

     Reply