FIFA banned Canadian women’s soccer head coach Bev Priestman for one year and deducted six points from the team’s standings in the Olympic tournament.
FIFA announced the sanctions in a statement on Saturday, which also included:
- The Canadian Soccer Association was fined more than $300,000
- Priestman, Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander were banned from taking part in “football-related activities” for a year
The CSA can appeal the decision in the next 10 days.
“CSA 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 with the prohibition on flying drones over any training sites,” FIFA said in Saturday’s ruling.
“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.”
Kevin Blue, chief executive of the sport’s national governing body, revealed on Friday his organization is sorting through what appears to be a systematic and historical embrace of spying on opponents – with the men, as well as the women’s program.
“Behaviour in the ethical grey area is completely unacceptable to Canadians and completely unacceptable to Canada Soccer and to me personally as the leader of the organization,” he said. “Competing within the rules is a fundamental expectation held by Canadians and that standard has not been met here.”
Canada Soccer suspended women’s coach Bev Priestman for the duration of the Olympics following allegations spying stretched back further than the Games in Paris. The move was made hours after TSN reporter Rick Westhead cited sources claiming the Canadians spied on opponents during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics – including peering in on the hosts, Japan.
Joseph Lombardi, an unaccredited staff member, and Jasmine Mander, an assistant coach to whom he reported, were sent home earlier in the week. The Globe and Mail reported that French police followed the flight path of a drone spotted above the New Zealand women’s team as it practised on Monday, and it led them to a member of the Canadian staff.
Christine Sinclair, the superstar who retired from international play, issued a statement on social media to offer sympathy for current members of the team who have played “through condemnable actions by some of their staff as they attempt to defend our gold medal.”
Sinclair said players have no control over such actions.
“I want to be clear that having been a national team player for 23 years,” she wrote, “we were never shown or discussed drone footage in team or individual meetings I’ve been present for.”
More to come.
With files from Ryan Pyette