What initially seemed to be an isolated incident of drone espionage by an overzealous staffer at the Paris Olympics has evolved into a far wider spying scandal that risks staining Canada’s reputation in international soccer.
It has now come to light that this week’s revelations may have just been the tip of the iceberg. Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue told reporters on Friday that he feared this problem ran much deeper than he initially assumed.
This has many in international soccer wondering: what happens now? Will Canada Women, the reigning gold medalists, be removed from the competition? When did staff start leaning on drones for surveillance? How many people knew?
These are the questions that need answering as the scandal rumbles on.
Was spying systemic within Canadian soccer culture?
That is seeming more likely as each day passes. Blue alluded to this on Friday when he said he feared the incident was not isolated.
“The more I learn about this specific matter, the more concerned I get about a potential long-term, deeply embedded systemic culture of this type of thing occurring, which is obviously completely unacceptable,” Blue said. “I’ve been receiving a lot of anecdotal feedback about the history of the issue as it relates to both programs, as it relates to the…
