The deep turmoil of NASL: dark times for US soccer's wild child

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https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2016/nov/11/the-deep-turmoil-of-nasl-dark-times-for-us-soccers-wild-child

The deep turmoil of NASL: dark times for US soccer's wild child

As the New York Cosmos prepare to take on Indy Eleven in Sunday’s final, one NASL owner is set to take legal action alleging ties to ‘dirty money’ – another blow to a league that has suffered more than its fair share of problems

Matthew Hall

Friday 11 November 2016 06.00 EST

As the North American Soccer League gears up for its championship final between New York Cosmos and Indy Eleven in New York on Sunday, Tampa Bay Rowdies owner Bill Edwards has warned he is poised to take legal action against the league, alleging ties to “dirty money”.

Edwards, a real estate investor based in St Petersburg, Florida, withdrew the Tampa Bay Rowdies from the second-tier NASL last month, instead opting to play next season in the United Soccer League, a third-tier competition featuring smaller market clubs and Major League Soccer reserve teams.

Edwards told the Guardian his legal action will be based on NASL ties to Traffic Sports, a Brazilian-owned sports marketing company where two executives, Jose Hawilla and Aaron Davidson, pleaded guilty to corruption charges resulting from the 2015 FBI investigation into Fifa and the Concacaf confederation.

“It’s dirty money in and clean money out,” said Edwards, who bought a controlling interest in the Rowdies in 2013. “The situation involving Traffic Sports and its involvement in the league has not been resolved to my satisfaction.”

Edwards claims his Rowdies team was “fraudulently induced” to participate in NASL “by the league”, whose management at that time included Davidson, an American who acted as the NASL board chairman and also took a role as President of Fort Lauderdale Strikers, another NASL team. Davidson was suspended by the league when the FBI indictments were made public.

“I would have never joined NASL at the time had I been aware that Traffic Sports and [Davidson and Hawilla were involved with] criminal activities,” said Edwards. “The league management at the time, including Aaron Davidson, made material misrepresentations and omissions regarding the integrity of the league and its financial hygiene.”

Edwards’ legal action will serve as a blow to a league already facing significant challenges as its season reaches a climax. Ottawa Fury will also leave the NASL for the USL next season, while Minnesota United will make an upward move to Major League Soccer next year. Financial question marks cloud the future of Fort Lauderdale Strikers and Rayo OKC.

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“I have stressed to the league the importance of separating itself from Traffic Sports and the corrupt criminal enterprise to no avail,” Edwards said. “I never wanted to leave the NASL. I fought for two years to clean it up. I couldn’t get enough cooperation from the league and at the end of the day I was basically forced out. I couldn’t in all good faith be involved in a league in the condition it is in.”

Court records obtained by the New York Times last year revealed that the NASL’s ownership structure is divided into “Class A” stakeholders – team owners with voting rights, including Traffic – and “Class B” for other stakeholders that have invested money in the league. Traffic Sports is the majority “Class B” stakeholder.

In a conference call with reporters on Wednesday, NASL commissioner Bill Peterson declined to clarify NASL’s relationship with Traffic Sports, claiming he did not want the subject to distract from Sunday’s final.

“We’ve resolved almost all the relationships [with Traffic Sports] and what is left will be settled soon enough,” was his only comment. The Guardian also asked the league to clarify the nature of their relationship with Traffic via email. The NASL declined to comment.