(Reuters) – Former Canadian men’s national team captain Jason deVos has been named interim general secretary of Canada Soccer, the national governing body said on Tuesday.
DeVos, who earned 49 caps with the national team from 1997-2004, will step into the role on May 12 to succeed Earl Cochrane, whose departure was announced last week.
Cochrane became the latest top Canada Soccer official to leave the organization amid a prolonged labour dispute with the men’s and women’s national teams.
Nick Bontis stepped down from his role as Canada Soccer president in February and acknowledged that change was needed to expedite labour peace with the men’s and women’s teams.
DeVos, 49, has been with the national governing body for the past six years and is a member of the Canada Soccer executive leadership team, serving as director of development.
In his new role, deVos will be the operational leader of the organization, working closely with the board in consultation with Canada Soccer membership and key stakeholders.
“As a former player, I know and understand what it takes to compete, and enhancing the performance environment of our players will be a priority,” deVos said in a news release.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; editing by Clare Fallon)
