Football: Canadian club CF Montreal trade forward who refused to get vaccinated

MONTREAL (REUTERS, BLOOMBERG) – Major League Soccer club CF Montreal traded forward Erik Hurtado to the Columbus Crew on Thursday (July 8) and cited his refusal to get the Covid-19 vaccine as a reason for his departure.

The Canadian club, who have been playing their home games across the border in Florida this term because of the country’s strict Covid-19 protocols, received US$200,000 (S$271,000) for the American player in general allocation money.

Montreal endured some of the strictest Covid-19 measures in North America, including a nightly curfew for nearly five months. Just six weeks ago, it was illegal to be outside of your home after 9:30 pm.

Its tourism industry has been battered by travel restrictions and the cancellations of summer festivities like the Canadian Grand Prix Formula One race.

But the city has been recovering on the back of surging vaccination rates: About 80 per cent of eligible Quebec residents have received a dose, according to the provincial government. That has helped quell a pandemic that caused 131 deaths per 100,000 people in the province, almost double the overall Canadian death rate.

The decision on Hurtado comes as the team plan their return to Canada.

“Because he’s not vaccinated against Covid-19, his situation was problematic and we started considering a trade when we got the confirmation that the team could return to Montreal,” Montreal sporting director Olivier Renard said in a press release.

“Before proceeding, Erik also confirmed that he was not comfortable taking the vaccine, so we concluded this deal, which we felt was very satisfactory.”

Hurtado, 30, played in seven games (two starts) for Montreal and notched one assist. He joined the team as a free agent in February.

This is his ninth MLS season. He spent six years with the Vancouver Whitecaps from 2013-18 and the last two years with Sporting Kansas City. In 140 career games, he has 19 goals and 11 assists.

“Erik is a versatile forward who has valuable experience in our League and provides us with another option on attack,” Columbus president and general manager Tim Bezbatchenko said in a statement. “His addition to our roster will ensure that we have another proven MLS goal scorer to call upon when needed.”

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