CF Montreal took an important step on Sunday in its reconciliation process with fans by officially retiring number 12 and returning it to them.
The event was highlighted on Sunday with a half-time ceremony which brought together four former players who wore number 12, namely Eduardo Sebrango (2002-2005, 2009-2010), Patrick Diotte (1993-1998, 2000-2001) , Sandro Grande (2008) and Amir Lowery (2011).
“I think it’s a brilliant idea, Sebrango enthusiastically launched before the meeting. I’m proud of it because I had a great time with the club and now the number belongs to the fans with whom I had a great relationship.”
“It’s an honor and a special feeling to come back to Montreal. Fans deserve this number back,” added Lowery, who traveled from Washington DC with his wife for the occasion.
Connexion
As we know, since the arrival of Gabriel Gervais as President and CEO, the club has been trying to reconnect with its past.
“Obviously we’ve lost a bit of connection with the fans over the past few years and we have to rebuild that relationship. I believe that this ceremony will help,” said Sebrango.
“It’s a great way to reconnect with the community because it hasn’t been easy in recent years,” said Patrick Diotte, who recognizes that the veterans have not always been present at Stade Saputo.
“I haven’t been here for a long time,” he admitted. There are small gestures that bring back the old ones. There is history, the Montreal club did not start two years ago, there are foundations to be reinstalled.
Community
Moreover, Diotte has thrown flowers to Gabriel Gervais on his way of managing since he has been president of the club.
For the former defender, Gervais is doing what it takes to find the essence of the club.
“I spoke to Gabriel and saw his hiring press conference. It’s always been a family club and in the past it’s been a bit sidelined.
“It looks like Gabriel wants to bring that spirit back, both with the players and with the fans. The Impact was built on the foundations of community.”
Bons moments
The alumni didn’t hesitate when asked to talk about the good times they had while wearing number 12.
“It’s easy to say it’s the clash against Santos Laguna. But in 2004, we also experienced great moments. We beat the Rochester Raging Rhinos for the first time,” Sebrango said.
“For me, it’s the championship in 1994, launched Diotte. It was a year when everything fell into place, including the baseball strike. It was our second year and we were in the final. When we talk about the 12th player, the stadium was full at that time.
Lowery only spent one season in Montreal, the last in the NASL before joining MLS, but he loved his time.
“It has been an exceptional year for me. My favorite moment was our game against the Red Bulls and Thierry Henry, here at Stade Saputo.”
Exciting
Everything beautiful is closely following what is happening on the pitch this season and we can feel them excited.
“I’m excited as a ‘fan’ but also as a member of the club to see what’s happening on the pitch right now,” says Sebrango, who is a coach at the Academy. I’m not surprised, I often have the opportunity to see Wilfried work with the players and we already saw last year that things were going well.
Having worked in the MLS Players Association for five years, Amir Lowery is still connected to what is happening in the league and he closely follows the progress of CF Montreal.
“I follow the league very closely, I see the progress under Wilfried Nancy and the young players. I’m really impressed because they’ve accomplished so far.”
