Canada women’s soccer team head coach Bev Priestman is among those under investigation by FIFA amid allegations that a drone was used to spy on Olympic rivals New Zealand.
FIFA’s disciplinary committee has opened proceedings against the Canadian Soccer Federation, along with Priestman and two other team members.
Assistant coach Jasmine Mander and Joseph Lombardi, an unaccredited analyst for Canada Soccer, have been sent home in connection with what the Canadian Olympic Committee said it believes are two separate instances of using a drone to record Football Ferns training sessions.
Priestman, who was once an assistant to former Lionesses coach Phil Neville, announced she will not take charge of the defending Olympic champions for Thursday’s clash with New Zealand, their tournament opener, and will be replaced by Andy Spence.
In a statement released on Wednesday, FIFA confirmed that it has opened proceedings against Priestman, Lombardi and Mander.
FIFA’s disciplinary committee has opened proceedings against the Canadian Soccer Federation
Head coach Bev Priestman and two others are under investigation amid the scandal.
It cited a “possible violation of Article 13 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and Article 6.1 of the Regulations of the Olympic Football Tournaments of the XXXIII Olympiad Paris 2024 – Final Competition, following incidents involving an unaccredited member of the Canadian delegation to the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament, who is believed to have used a drone to film the New Zealand women’s football team.”
“The matter will be submitted to the disciplinary committee for consideration in the coming days,” the statement continued.
Canada Soccer president Peter Augruso and CEO and general secretary Kevin Blue also expressed their “unequivocal disapproval” in a joint statement announcing that their organization would conduct its own independent investigation.
“On behalf of our federation, we offer our sincere apologies to the players, coaches and officials affected,” they said in a statement.
‘Canada Soccer has always sought to prioritize integrity and fair competition, and we understand that competing fairly is a basic expectation for all Canadians. We fell short of those expectations in this case, and for that we apologize.
‘As an immediate next step, Canada Soccer will proceed with an independent external review. This review will address the circumstances of the current matter and, more broadly, seek to understand the historical culture of competitive ethics within all of our programs.
Two team members were sent home from the Olympics for spying with a drone
New Zealand’s Football Ferns noticed a drone flying over their training session on Monday
Priestman has retired from coaching the team during the Paris Olympics
“The outcome of this review will be made public and corrective action will be taken if necessary. We will maintain prompt and transparent communication on this matter.”
A COC statement said Mander and Lombardi would be sent home immediately and Canada Soccer staff would undergo “mandatory ethics training.”
Priestman said: “On behalf of our entire team, I would first like to apologise to the players and staff of New Zealand Football and to the players of Team Canada,” Priestman said.
“This does not represent the values our team stands for. Ultimately, I am responsible for the conduct of our program. Therefore, to emphasize our team’s commitment to integrity, I have decided to voluntarily withdraw from coaching Thursday’s game.
“In the spirit of responsibility, I do this with the interests of both teams in mind and to ensure that everyone feels that the sportsmanship of this game is upheld.”
The COC said it was informed that an unaccredited member of Canada Soccer’s support team had been detained by French authorities in St Etienne following a complaint by New Zealand Football on July 22.
After reviewing that incident, the COC said it had learned of a “second drone incident” on July 19.