Three people are tied to Olympic soccer drone-spying

FIFA suspended the women’s national soccer coach Bev Priestman for the rest of the 2024 Olympic Games after a public investigation of drone spying

Kevin Blue, CEO of Canada Soccer, said that there have been additional information about previous use of drones against opponents before the Paris Olympic Games. Canada Soccer has decided to suspend Women’s National soccer Team Head Coach, Bev Priestman, for the rest of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games until the completion of an independent external review.

After it surfaced that drones were used spy on Canada’s opponents during training sessions at the Paris Olympics, soccer’s governing body FIFA suspended the women’s coach Bev Priestman for a year. Two other Team Canada employees were removed and also received a one-year ban.

Another FIFA punishment included penalizing Canada 6 points in the Olympic soccer tournament, which all but guarantees the team won’t make it out of group play.

The decision, issued Saturday by the sport’s international governing body, follows revelations of spying that have roiled the women’s Olympic soccer tournament, a premiere international event that is second only to the FIFA Women’s World Cup in importance.

The head of the Canadian Olympic Committee said he was shocked and disappointed after the details of the espionage became public. He told reporters that they felt very much frustrated, and all Canadians do.

The scandal began with the arrest of a man in Saint-Etienne, France. The prosecutor said that a man linked to the Canadian team had filmed the training of the New Zealand women’s team with the help of a drone.

The footage taken on July 22 show the New Zealand players applying instructions given to them by their trainer, as well as images taken on July 20 — a previously unknown instance that he admitted during questioning — when they were training in the Michon stadium in Saint-Etienne.

The incident of the suspension of the women’s soccer coach Beverly Priestman over the use of a drone in Paris for the duration of FIFA sanctions

Canada’s women’s coach, Beverly Priestman, initially said she would voluntarily sit out of Canada’s Thursday match against New Zealand. (Canada won 2-1.)

The sports minister of Canada said the government would not provide funding for the three soccer officials who were tied to the use of drones.

Sports minister Carla Qualtrough issued a strongly worded statement on Sunday in announcing that Sport Canada, which funds the women’s program, would halt its financial backing for the three Canada Soccer officials for the duration of their FIFA sanctions.

Canada Soccer, which suspended coach Priestman for the remainder of the Paris Games tournament, said it launched an independent external review of the incident. The team will be led by Andy Spence for the rest of the Olympics.

“This issue has caused significant distraction and embarrassment for Team Canada and all Canadians here in Paris and at home,” Qualtrough wrote. “It is deeply regrettable.”

She continued, “As events happen on this issue I encourage Canadians to support our incredible Olympic athletes.” They have worked hard and deserve our unwavering support.”