John Herdman resigns as head coach of Toronto FC

Toronto FC head coach John Herdman jogs off the field during halftime of the Canadian Championship final soccer match against the Vancouver Whitecaps in Vancouver on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

John Herdman, embroiled in the drone-spying scandal that has dogged Canada Soccer, has resigned as coach of Toronto FC.

Herdman was put in charge of the MLS team in late August after stepping down as coach of the Canadian men's team.

No reason for the resignation was given in the four-paragraph release by TFC.

• Download our app to get alerts on your device

“Personally, I have made the difficult decision that it’s the right time for me to step away from the club, as the organization defines its vision for the future,” Herdman said in the statement. “It has been an honour to wear the Toronto FC crest and contribute to the growth of the club.

"Working with this dedicated group of players and staff has been a true privilege. I want to thank (president and chief executive officer) Keith Pelley and MLSE ownership for the opportunity, and I also want to thank the incredible fans for the support they’ve shown me both on and off the pitch. I wish the organization success going forward, and I look forward to the next chapter in my career.”

The drone-spying scandal at the Paris Olympics has already cost Canadian women's head coach Bev Priestman her job in the wake of the recent release of an independent report into the matter.

Canada Soccer has said Priestman will not be returning. Priestman, assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joey Lombardi are currently serving one-year suspensions from FIFA, with Lombardi having already resigned his Canada Soccer position

A FIFA Appeals Committee ruling this summer also put Herdman at Ground Zero within Canada Soccer for spying on rival teams.

"Canada is investigating the history of this matter, but we suspect that the practice of using a drone stems back to John Herdman when he was the head coach of the women's national team. In other words, this was a practice started by one person — John Herdman — and continued by Bev Priestman," Canada Soccer said, according to the FIFA document.

In another email, provided to FIFA by Canada Soccer, Priestman suggested the practice was commonplace in both the men's and women's teams.

Priestman was an assistant coach under Herdman.

Canada Soccer announced July 31 that it had retained Sonia Regenbogen from the law firm of Mathews, Dinsdale & Clark to handle the review of the Olympic incident "and subsequently, any related matters of a historic nature."

Herdman declined to publicly address such allegations, citing the "integrity of the investigation." While he said he would co-operate with the investigation, he did not speak to Regenbogen.

But he maintained his record was clean at the Olympics and World Cups.

"I can again clarify that at a FIFA World Cup, pinnacle event, Olympic Games, at a Youth World Cup, those activities have not been undertaken," he said in July. "And I've got nothing else to say on that matter."

Herdman switched from the Canadian women to the Canadian men in January 2018, leading the men to the World Cup in 2022 for the first time since 1986. He had taken over the Canadian women in 2011, leading them to bronze medals in London in 2012 and Rio in 2016,

Herdman was in charge of TFC for the final two games of the 2023 season when Toronto finished bottom of the league at 4-20-10.

There was some improvement this season but Toronto missed the playoffs for a fourth straight year at 11-19-4 in 11th place in the Eastern Conference.

"On behalf of the entire organization, I thank John for his commitment to Toronto FC and for the important strides for the club during his time as head coach,” Pelley said in the statement. “John’s passion for the game and dedication is evident to all those he has worked with and we wish him and his family the very best. The organization will begin the search for Toronto FC’s next head coach immediately.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 29, 2024.