Canadian women's soccer team penalised, coach banned over drone scandal

Canada's women's soccer team faced a six-point deduction in the Olympic tournament, and head coach Bev Priestman was banned for a year following a drone spying scandal, FIFA announced on Saturday. This incident has marred their defence of the gold medal.

The Canadian Soccer Association, exploring options to appeal the six-point deduction, was also fined 200,000 Swiss francs ($226,346). The scandal has caused significant upheaval at the Paris Games.

Priestman, who has led the team since 2020 and guided them to Olympic victory in Tokyo, along with Canadian officials Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander, has been banned from soccer-related activities for one year for "offensive behaviour and violation of fair play principles," according to FIFA.

The controversy arose after New Zealand complained that Canadian staff used drones to spy on their training sessions before their opening Olympic match, which Canada won 2-1.

As a result of FIFA's decision, the reigning Olympic champions will start with minus three points in Group A, with only two matches remaining, making it challenging to advance past the group stage. The decision can potentially be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

David Shoemaker, CEO and Secretary General of the Canadian Olympic Committee, expressed sympathy for the athletes who were not involved in the scandal and stated that they are exploring appeal options with Canada Soccer regarding the point deduction.

Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue criticized FIFA's decision as excessively harsh on the players. Canada is set to play against France, the leaders of Group A, on Sunday, followed by a match against Colombia, who, like New Zealand, have no points, on Wednesday.

The top two teams in each group and the two best third-ranked teams will qualify for the Olympic quarter-finals.

Following the incident, Priestman and the implicated officials were suspended by Canada Soccer and sent home from the Games. Assistant coach Andy Spence will lead the team for the remainder of the tournament.

Priestman issued an apology, taking full responsibility for the incident, and stated that it did not reflect the team's values. Despite the scandal, Priestman had previously been praised for her role in developing the women's programme and had extended her contract through the 2027 Women's World Cup.

Reports from Canadian sports network TSN indicated that the use of drones predates the 2024 Olympics, with the team reportedly filming other opponents' training sessions, including during the 2021 Olympics.