It is undoubtedly part of the ‘man of the people’ image Bill Manning has worked to cultivate that he speaks his mind and is happy to be provocative in sticking up for the interests of his club. That was the case in the controversial interview he gave to the Toronto Sun last week regarding Toronto FC’s place in the new Canadian Premier League, and he did not back down from those comments after hosting his annual president’s breakfast at Maple Leaf Square on Friday morning.
Speaking to the media after the event, Manning was unperturbed by the reaction to the interview and reiterated his belief that competition between two professional soccer clubs in Toronto would not be a good thing.