Canadian Women’s Soccer Team Penalized Six Points in Olympics Due to Drone Controversy

Canada has been penalized six points in the Olympic women’s soccer tournament, and their head coach Bev Priestman has been banned for a year, according to global governing body FIFA. This decision follows a drone spying scandal that has cast a shadow over their gold medal defense.

The Canadian Soccer Association, which is considering appealing the six-point deduction, has also been fined 200,000 Swiss francs ($226,346) for this incident that rocked the Paris Games.

As per FIFA, Priestman and Canadian officials Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander are facing a one-year ban from any soccer-related activities due to “offensive behavior and violation of fair play principles.”

New Zealand raised complaints that Canadian staff flew drones over their training sessions before their initial match at the Olympics, which Canada won 2-1.

Following FIFA’s ruling, the reigning Olympic champions will find themselves at minus three points in Group A, with two games remaining to advance past the group stage in a challenging situation.

The decision is open to a potential appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

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“We feel terrible for the athletes on the Canadian Women’s Olympic soccer team who, to our knowledge, had no involvement in this incident,” said David Shoemaker, CEO and Secretary General of the Canadian Olympic Committee.

“In solidarity with the athletes, we are considering the options for appealing the six-point deduction in this Olympic tournament, along with Canada Soccer.”

Canada Soccer’s CEO and General Secretary, Kevin Blue, has criticized FIFA’s decision as being “excessively punitive” towards the players.

Canada is set to face France, the leaders of Group A with three points, on Sunday, followed by a match against Colombia, who like New Zealand, have no points, on Wednesday.

The top two teams from each group and the two best third-placed teams will progress to the Olympic quarter-finals.

As a consequence of this incident, Priestman, and other officials implicated, have been suspended by Canada Soccer and sent home from the Games.

Priestman issued an apology on Wednesday, taking full responsibility for the situation. She expressed that the actions did not align with the team’s values.

Priestman, who recently extended her contract through the 2027 Women’s World Cup, had been commended by Canada Soccer for her significant contribution to the women’s program.

Furthermore, reports indicate that drone usage predates the 2024 Olympics, with allegations that the team had also recorded training sessions of other opponents, including during the previous Olympic tournament in 2021.

There has been no immediate response from Canada Soccer or the Canadian Olympic Committee regarding this matter.

Former Canadian national team players Christine Sinclair and Stephanie Labbe stated that players were never shown drone footage during their time with the team.

Former national team player Kaylyn Kyle, who competed in the 2012 London Olympics, lamented that players are now facing repercussions for the actions of others.

“Only the players suffer for stupidity and selfishness. The amount of work that goes into prep for an OG’s (Olympic Games) to only have their dreams and hopes shattered,” she said on X.