Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber stated on Wednesday evening that his X account had been compromised, following a post from his account earlier in the day that referred to British Columbia Premier David Eby as a liar. The incident comes amid an ongoing relocation controversy involving the Vancouver Whitecaps, who have cited severe financial difficulties due to playing at BC Place, a stadium owned by the provincial government. The Whitecaps have been linked with potential moves to Las Vegas or Phoenix.
Background of the Dispute
Earlier on Thursday, Premier Eby posted a 45-second video on his X account, assuring Whitecaps fans that the province is actively working to preserve the team. He said, The Whitecaps are British Columbia, and I want you to know that we are at the table fighting hard to save the Whitecaps. Four hours later, Garber's account responded with a now-deleted post reading, Liar liar pants on fire, timestamped at 8 pm Pacific time. About an hour later, the tweet was removed and replaced with a statement from Garber explaining that his account had been compromised and that the issue was resolved. He also thanked Premier Eby for meeting with him earlier that day.
Reactions and Clarifications
MLS executive vice president of communications Dan Courtemanche, who manages Garber's communications, posted several replies on X stating that Garber had been hacked. According to a source with direct knowledge of the situation, Garber was at dinner with US Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone and CEO JT Batson when he learned of the post. Garber, like many high-profile sports figures, does not typically manage his social media accounts directly and has not replied to an X post in several years.
The Whitecaps Situation
Garber was in Vancouver for FIFA's congress on Thursday, where he engaged with local government leaders regarding the Whitecaps. The situation has become increasingly tense, with Whitecaps ownership claiming they have received widespread interest from potential local ownership groups but no formal offers. The primary issue, according to the team, is an untenable agreement with PavCo, a crown corporation of the province that owns BC Place. Despite a recently renegotiated lease, the Whitecaps maintain that the team is not economically viable in Vancouver.
Whitecaps CEO Axel Schuster told the Guardian earlier this month, We appreciate the deal very much but it's not a deal that will solve our problems. I take every dollar that can better our situation but it's not the gamechanger for us. The club has a memorandum of understanding with Vancouver to build a soccer-specific stadium, but local leaders say that process could take years. Schuster described the proposed site as a challenging piece of land, adding, To make the dream come true it needs way more than the Vancouver Whitecaps alone trying to figure it out.
