An emotional Sandro Grande, former reserve team coach for CF Montreal, speaks to the media Thursday, January 19, 2023 in Laval, Que. Grande was fired the day after he was hired for controversial remarks about sovereigntists more than ten years ago. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
MONTREAL – A soccer coach who was fired this month over years-old Twitter comments suggesting the former premier of Quebec should be assassinated is publicly apologizing.
Sandro Grande was named CF Montreal’s reserve squad coach on Jan. 9 but was fired less than a day later after a political backlash over his hiring.
Grande was under fire over comments he made after the 2012 Quebec election night shooting outside a Parti Québécois gathering. He notably wrote on Twitter that the only mistake the shooter made was missing his target – in reference to then-premier Pauline Marois.
A tearful Grande told a news conference today that he has written to Marois to apologize and received a “touching” response.
He said he’s sorry and ashamed of the comments he made, admitting he had previously denied having written them.
He also reached out to current Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who has agreed to meet with him on Sunday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 19, 2023.
