Canada women’s coach Bev Priestman banned from football for a year after spying scandal

The head coach of the Canada women’s football team, Bev Priestman, and two other officials have been banned by Fifa for a year after a spying scandal.

Analyst Joseph Lombardi and assistant coach Jasmine Mander were also banned after allegations they used drones to spy on the coaching sessions of their opponents New Zealand on 22 July, a day before they played in Paris. Fifa said they “were each found responsible for offensive behaviour and violation of the principles of fair play”.

Canada have been docked six points in Group A in the Olympic football tournament, and the association has also been fined 200,000 Swiss francs (£175,000).

The points deduction does not eliminate Canada from the tournament. It could mean the team must win their two remaining games in Group A and hope to advance with three points. Having beaten New Zealand 2-1 in their opener, they play group leaders France on Sunday in Saint-Étienne, then Colombia on Thursday in Nice.

Priestman, 38, from County Durham in England, became head coach in November 2020 and led Canada to the Olympic title in Tokyo in 2021, beating Sweden in the gold medal match. She is under contract until the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

On Wednesday, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) said a “non-accredited member of the Canada Soccer support team” had been detained by French authorities in Saint-Étienne for improperly using a drone.

Priestman was suspended by the national soccer federation and then removed from the Olympic tournament. Lombardi and Mander were also sent home. Priestman denied any involvement in the scheme – but said she would voluntarily “step aside” for the match against New Zealand. Canada won the match under the guidance of Andy Spence, the former Everton women’s manager.

Canada Soccer CEO and general secretary Kevin Blue said on Friday that “additional information has come to our attention regarding previous drone use against opponents, predating the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”

The Canadian Olympic Committee chief executive, David Shoemaker, said that information showed Priestman was likely aware of the drone use and he was aware of reports it had happened at the previous Olympics. “There appears to be information that could tarnish that Olympic performance in Tokyo,” he said at a press conference.

“It makes me ill, it makes me sick to my stomach, to think that there could be something that calls into question … one of my favourite Olympic moments in history. I know Canada Soccer will investigate all of this fully, including Tokyo. [We will] make sure they get to the bottom of it.”

Fifa said in a statement: “The CSA [Canadian Soccer Association] was found responsible for failing to respect the applicable Fifa regulations in connection with its failure to ensure the compliance of its participating officials of the OFT [Olympic football tournament] with the prohibition on flying drones over any training sites.

“The officials were each found responsible for offensive behaviour and violation of the principles of fair play in connection with the CSA’s women’s representative team’s drones usage in the scope of the OFT.”

Fifa said the decision remains subject to a potential appeal before the court of arbitration for sport, which could happen at a special fast-track hearing during the ongoing Olympic Games.