MONTREAL (AP) 鈥� Sandro Grande was fired as coach of Montreal's under-23 team on Tuesday 鈥� a day after his hiring was announced 鈥� because of comments he made following a 2012 election-night shooting outside of a Parti Qu茅b茅cois gathering that leader Pauline Marois attended.
The 2012 post on Grande's Twitter account said: 鈥淭he only mistake the shooter made last night was to miss his target!!! Marois!!! Next time buddy! Hopefully!鈥� While Grande claimed his account had been hacked, the former Montreal Impact midfielder did admit to calling separatist voters 鈥渉illbillies鈥� and 鈥渟tupid.鈥�
On the night of the election, a gunman fatally shot lighting technician Denis Blanchette and seriously injured a second technician, David Courage, who was struck with the same bullet.
Montreal team president Gabriel Gervais said the team was 鈥渁ware of these unacceptable actions鈥� when Grande was hired.
鈥淲hat we saw in him are the good things he鈥檚 done over the last few years and the maturity he鈥檚 gained," Gervais said. "We don鈥檛 want to trivialize what he said but we did have to acknowledge that he had made strides to better himself.鈥�
Marois told The Canadian Press that Grande's remarks were 鈥渦nacceptable and reprehensible.鈥� She added that she didn't want to comment further.
鈥淎 solution has been reached and all the better," she said.
Current Parti Qu茅b茅cois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon responded to Grande's hiring this week with a Twitter thread expressing his discontentment with the club鈥檚 decision.
鈥淗e repeatedly made filthy and criminal remarks targeting more than 2 million separatist Quebecers; this tacit endorsement by CF Montreal is untenable and extremely uncomfortable,鈥� St-Pierre Plamondon said.
Gervais said a hiring committee was involved and the decision to bring aboard Grande was unanimous. He accepted full responsibility.
鈥淚t was the thought of giving him a second chance that really blurred our decision-making process,鈥� Gervais said. 鈥淲e underestimated the impact that it would have on the community.鈥�
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