MISL Says Segota Can’t Miss Games

KANSAS CITY — When Socker midfielder Branko Segota woke up Monday morning, he wasn’t sure if he would spend the day flying with the Sockers to Kansas City or if he would join the Canadian national soccer team in Vancouver.

By late Monday morning, Segota was heading to the Midwest instead of the Pacific Northwest.

It’s a long story.

Earlier this month, Socker Owner Bob Bell granted Segota, a Canadian citizen, permission to miss five regular-season games so he could play with the Canadian national team that will compete in the World Cup in Mexico this summer.

Segota was scheduled to leave for Vancouver on Sunday and miss tonight’s Socker game in Kansas City. That way, he could play in the Canadian team’s outdoor exhibition match against Paraguay on Wednesday night in Vancouver.

Last Saturday, Bell was notified by the Major Indoor Soccer League office that a ruling would be made Monday on whether teams had the right to allow their players to miss league games to play for national teams.

Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Tacoma and Minnesota also have players who want to train with the Canadian team.

On Monday morning, Bell said: “The commissioner (Francis Dale) ruled that no player can miss league games to play for the Canadian national team.”

Late Monday afternoon, MISL director of operations James Budish said such a statement hadn’t been publicly released yet, but he believed it would be forthcoming in the near future.

“MISL games come first,” Budish said.

Segota was obviously disappointed by the ruling.

“I don’t think the league has the right to make that decision,” Segota said. “They don’t pay my salary. My owner agreed to let me go. Maybe we will have to fight this. I don’t think it’s fair.”

Segota added that he might even fly to Vancouver after the game in Kansas City, play with the Canadian team Wednesday and rejoin the Sockers in Chicago in time for Friday night’s game.

Ironically, in their support of Segota, both Bell and Coach Ron Newman are fighting a decision that would allow them to keep a player who has 28 goals and 22 assists.

When a team is loaded with talent and is riding a 10-game winning streak, it can afford to fight for principles.

“I have mixed emotions,” Bell said. “I don’t think the league is being as flexible as it could be, but I told them I’d go along with their decision. It’s almost a problem without a solution. I have sympathy for the other teams, but I have a big lead in my division and can afford to have Branko miss some games.”

Said Newman: “Unfortunately this type of decision will create contempt toward our game (indoor game) and league from every part of the world and within our soccer communities. “