Canada ‘shocked’ after spying scandal hits Olympic women’s football champions

The women's football team from Canada is facing major issues after it was revealed that drones were used to spy on their opponents. Officials were surprised and upset by this news. As a result, two staff members were immediately sent home and their head coach will not be present for their first Olympic match against New Zealand on Thursday.

The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) announced on Wednesday that a member of the Canada Soccer support team who was not accredited had been taken into custody by French authorities in Saint-Étienne, a city located 250 miles south of Paris, for unauthorized use of a drone. This arrest comes after another incident where a drone was used to film New Zealand's training sessions.

Bev Priestman, the head coach who guided the Canadian team to a gold medal in Tokyo three years ago, has denied any part in the plan. However, she has chosen to voluntarily "step aside" for the opening game.

Regardless of the specifics, I am ultimately responsible for this team," Priestman stated during a team practice on Wednesday afternoon. "I did not give direct orders to the individuals ... I am still gathering information and it is clear that this situation is evolving. However, I believe the priority right now is to focus on the future, implement necessary measures, and accept the consequences."

Fifa's disciplinary committee is now taking action against Canada Soccer and multiple people, including Priestman, in response to the accusations.

The COC praised the football team's employees for being open and helpful during the investigation. Assistant coach Andy Spence will lead the defending champions in their upcoming match against New Zealand.

The sudden change occurred after New Zealand's Olympic Committee informed the IOC that they had spotted suspicious drones hovering over team practices on two separate occasions.

The NZOC and New Zealand Football strongly believe in keeping the Olympic Games fair and honest. They were very surprised and upset by this incident, which happened just three days before the teams were supposed to play each other in the first game of Paris 2024.

After the accusations were made, the COC conducted an investigation and then decided to dismiss assistant coach Jasmine Mander and Canada Soccer analyst Joseph Lombardi from the team. They were quickly sent back home.

Lombardi confessed to using the drone to film New Zealand players following their coach's directions. Mander was questioned by authorities as well, but denied any part in the recordings and was found to have done nothing wrong.

In France, a man from Canada, who is 43 years old, got a suspended sentence of eight months and had his equipment taken away. This happened because he was caught flying a drone in a place where it was not allowed. The information comes from a statement made by a prosecutor in Saint-Etienne, which was translated by CBC.

The COC stated that football employees must participate in mandatory ethics training.

"Playing fair is the most important rule in sports. The behavior of the people involved does not represent Canada's beliefs or the principles of sports," stated Carla Qualtrough, Canada's minister of sport and physical activity, on social media. "I back the penalties imposed by the Canadian Olympic Committee, their apologies to New Zealand, and the choice made by Head Coach Bev Priestman ... These swift actions will make sure that those responsible are held responsible and maintain the honesty of the sport and fair play for all athletes."

The controversy has brought a sense of disappointment as Canada aims to protect their Olympic championship.

"Of course, it's not the best situation, especially with a major tournament coming up," Canadian defender Vanessa Gilles shared with the media. "But we're all experts in our field. We will do our best with the circumstances we are facing. We will support each other."