Camilo Sanvezzo is still a member of the Vancouver Whitecaps, at least for now – but a transfer to Mexican club Querétaro FC remains imminent.
Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson addressed the Vancouver media via a hastily arranged conference call Wednesday evening ahead of Thursday's MLS SuperDraft in the wake of further reports from ESPN Deportes that the paperwork on Camilo's sale was signed, sealed and delivered.
“We're still working on it to try and find a solution at this moment,” Robinson said evening from Philadelphia, where Thursday's draft takes place.
While not explicitly stated, MLSsoccer understands the word “solution” is in reference to the specifics over the sale, not some sort of situation where Camilo will stay in Vancouver.
Wednesday's report from ESPN Deportes and Robinson's response mark the latest chapter in the ongoing, confusing and increasingly exhausting transfer saga between the Whitecaps and the Mexican club over the potential sale of Major League Soccer's reigning Golden Boot winner.
During the call, it also came to light that Robinson traveled down to Querétaro to meet with Camilo to discuss the situation.
By the sounds of it, the exchange between Vancouver's Welsh bench boss and the player who just months ago endorsed him for the Whitecaps head coaching job was a new sort of chat for the pair.
“It was an interesting conversation,” Robinson said of his half-hour exchange with the Brazilian last week. “The relationship obviously between me and Camilo, everyone knows, is a positive one ... when we got into a conversation, he put a few views across to me.
“I've made my points clear to him about where I stood as the head coach of this organization ... there were a few words that were at higher decibels than others, but I think it was important that that conversation needed to happen.”
Beyond sharing the varying levels of volume emitted by both parties, Robinson stated Camilo did acknowledge this situation could have been handled more appropriately.
“I was very disappointed and I told him,” Robinson said. “The way he acted has been unprofessional. I told him and he agreed. It's at a stage now where we need to try and do what is right for myself and my team moving forward into next year, and also the club.
“There's a way of conducting yourself individually as well as collectively.”
Martin MacMahon covers the Vancouver Whitecaps for MLSsoccer.com.
