Football
FIFA deduct six points and ban three coaches after drone spying scandal at Olympics
In short:
Canada’s women’s soccer team have been stripped of six points and had three coaches banned after a FIFA investigation into drone spying allegations.
Canada Soccer have also been fined almost $350,000 for failing to ensure compliance with its regulations around use of drones.
What’s next?
Canada Soccer has ten days to appeal the decision. They play their next match against Olympic hosts France tomorrow morning.
FIFA has handed down one of the biggest punishments in Olympic women’s football history, deducting six points from reigning gold medallists Canada, banning three of their coaches, and fining its association almost $350,000 after the women’s national team were found to have used drones to spy on opponents.
Disciplinary proceedings had been opened against the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) last week after their group stage opponents New Zealand reported a drone flying over their closed training session ahead of their opening match.
A non-accredited assistant coach, Joseph Lombardi, was caught by French police operating the drone on Monday, less than a week before their first game against New Zealand.
As part of their investigation, police reportedly found footage of a second training session filmed by a drone, as well as text messages between Lombardi and his accredited assistant, Jasmine Mander, discussing its use.
Both coaches were sent home from Paris within 48 hours of the allegations becoming public, though questions remained over whether Canada head coach Bev Priestman knew about the operation.
When asked in a pre-match media conference, Priestman did not directly answer whether she was aware that her assistant coaches had used a drone to spy on opponents, but voluntarily removed herself from coaching the following day’s game anyway.
Canada won that opening group match 2-1, but will now have those three points removed from their record, with another three deducted, putting their gold medal defence in serious doubt. They now cannot finish the group stage with more than three points, which may not be enough to see them through to the quarter-finals.
Following that game, Canada Soccer officials recommended suspending Priestman from Paris entirely, with Olympic Committee chief executive David Shoemaker saying they’d “gathered some additional information ourselves that made me conclude that [Priestman] was highly likely to have been aware of the incident”.
FIFA appear to have verified that information, with Priestman, along with her two assistants, now banned from all football-related activity for at least one year, saying in a statement they “were each found responsible for offensive behaviour and violation of the principles of fair play.”
FIFA also reprimanded Canada Soccer “for failing to respect the applicable FIFA regulations in connection with its failure to ensure the compliance of its participating officials of the Olympic Football Tournament with the prohibition on flying drones over any training sites” and fined them 200,000 Swiss francs, or around $345,400.
Canada Soccer has said they are exploring their options around appealing one part of FIFA’s decision.
“We feel terrible for the athletes on the Canadian Women’s Olympic Soccer Team who, as far as we understand, played no role in this matter,” Shoemaker said in a statement on Sunday.
“In support of the athletes, together with Canada Soccer, we are exploring rights of appeal related to the six point deduction at this Olympic tournament.”
While Canada could successfully appeal their Paris points deduction, the bans and fines are unlikely to be overturned after reports emerged this week that the use of drones to spy on opponents has been occurring for years across multiple senior and youth programs, with unnamed former officials claiming they were pressured by management to participate or risk losing their jobs.
This includes Canada’s gold medal-winning run at the Tokyo Olympics, as well as the men’s team’s qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
FIFA did not address whether another investigation was taking place into these historical allegations. However, individuals or teams found guilty of cheating have been stripped of Olympic medals in the past.
If such punishment occurs, the Matildas could be retroactively awarded a bronze medal after their fourth-placed finish in Tokyo.
“This is awful; the worst-case scenario,” former Canada women’s national team player Amy Walsh said.
“I feel sick to my stomach, genuinely nauseated. I understand when you get to a high level, people will be ruthless and do whatever they can do gain a competitive advantage, but this is so far over the line.
“The players are benefiting from the coaches cheating. There’s a certain amount of blind trust that players have that coaches are doing things the right way, and this is the ultimate betrayal.”
Canada Soccer can also appeal the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
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