The Departure Of Sebastian Giovinco – A Fan’s Perspective

As the new Major League Soccer season approaches, with less than one month left to kickoff, clubs are scratching around to get new signings in time.

One of the 24 clubs is my hometown club, Toronto FC. A team enriched with its Canadian roots, and nicknamed the Reds in reference to the Canadian maple leaf.

A blame game emerges in Toronto and the search for new players is on since the club sold star player Sebastian Giovinco to Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal.

The transfer has sprung a fiery debate among the TFC supporters, some siding with Team Giovinco and others with Team TFC.

As the club’s management is being criticized and put under a microscope it doesn’t change the cold, sobering truth of the situation — TFC is now without the greatest player in its history and its all-time top goalscorer, with Giovinco having netted 83 goals and a stunning 64 assists during his time in Canada.

Giovinco did what he was brought to do. He took Toronto FC from being a laughingstock to being MLS champions.

His commitment and skill were the best we’ve ever seen. His power to change a game with a goal, a touch, or a pass is rare and quite possibly unique, yet TFC lost him, and his time with the Reds ended in acrimony and a long lasting game of finger pointing.

The Giovinco transfer is just one of many representations of the worst of modern sport. But is this how it should have really ended for the Italian?

He made Toronto a champion. He is a legend, our legend. A player who earned the status he has through his commitment, effort, and skill.

Sports roots run deep and football reflects that. The bond between the team and the players should be respected and cared for, but to ownership it’s a business and they can, and probably will, buy a decent player for so much less.

But to supporters this is something more. We create bonds with our exceptional athletes which sells the tickets. The tension between goals and the emotional connection from the fans to their clubs and the athletes must be respected by the owners.

In Giovinco’s case tension fell on the wrong side and TFC lost a player which had invested his skill, heart and passion for four years.

To some they say this is just how sports are and how football is meant to be, but to most of us we cannot stop to ponder on the thought that there should have been a way to keep Sebastian Giovinco at Toronto FC.

There should have been a way.