Canadian national-team coach Colin Miller hasn’t quite closed the door on midfielder Atiba Hutchinson playing for his country at the upcoming Gold Cup.

“It would be easy for me to say he’s made a foolish mistake, but I will leave it at that,” said Miller. The coach said Canadian supporters need to remember that Cavallini is “still a young boy” and shouldn’t be vilified for saying no.

“We are in a situation where the player hasn’t committed either way, to play for Canada or to play for Scotland. If Fraser opts to play for Scotland, that’s fine, we wish him the best of luck. But, looking at the best interests of our national team, we have made a formal approach to Rangers and the player.”

The FC Edmonton coach was granted permission by the Eddies to steer the Canadian national team through the July tourney. The fact that the NASL schedule goes on hiatus in July allowed Miller the time needed to prepare and coach the squad.

The QSF made the announcement Saturday; and that should bring an end to a skirmish that took on an ugly political life over the last week.

The “with conditions” part should be of some concern, because the loopholes that exist in Friday’s FIFA pronouncement are big enough to drive a truck through.

Now, this is where we get back to Shatner/Kirk. In the classic original series, this is pretty well how Kirk “negotiated” with any adversary. He laid out his terms, then he told Uhura to cut the communications. He wanted to make the other captain sweat. He understood the value of silence. You’ve set the boundaries, laid out the consequences, why the rhetoric?

“The Canadian Soccer Association has requested on 6 June that the Quebec Soccer Federation reverse its position on turbans/patkas/keski with no resolution,” said Victor Montagliani, President of the Canadian Soccer Association, in a release issued by the CSA. “The Quebec Soccer Federation’s inaction has forced us to take measures in order to ensure soccer remains accessible to the largest number of Canadians.”

The provincial premier, who leads the separatist Parti Quebecois, stated Tuesday that the Canadian Soccer Association had no right to suspend the QSF, and that the provincial soccer federation has the dominion over the provinces’s footballing affairs.

That directive was made in response to Quebec’s ongoing refusal to allow the headwear for official games in the province. It is the only association in Canada to have such a ban in place. Last Sunday, the QSF reaffirmed its support for the ban, defying the CSA directive.