Members of Canada Women’s coaching team were asked by senior coaching staff to fly drones over a New Zealand practice session and obtain “surreptitious film footage” before the Paris Olympics on July 20 and 22, 2024, according to an independent investigation.
The coaching staff then reviewed the footage afterwards but the players did not.
On Tuesday, Canada Soccer released a redacted summary of a months-long investigation into the use of drones by the Canadian women’s and men’s national soccer teams.
Toronto-based lawyer Sonia Regenbogen declared that, “on a balance of probabilities” women’s coaching staff were “directed”, “approved” and “condoned” to spy on Canada’s opponents at the Paris Olympics, although the footage was never shown to the players.
“The situation that occurred at the Olympic Games was highly unacceptable to everybody involved,” Canada Soccer CEO and General Secretary Kevin Blue told The Athletic.
Canada Soccer said Bev Priestman, who was sent home from the Olympics and then suspended by world governing body FIFA for one year, “will not continue as women’s national team coach”. Assistant coach Jasmine Mander and the staff member who flew the drone in France, Joseph Lombardi, were also suspended from soccer for one year and…
