FIFA’s disciplinary and appeals committee penalized Canada by stripping its Olympic team of six points. FIFA also suspended coach Bev Priestman for one year. Both penalties were imposed following an investigation into Canadian spying using drones.
Canada now has three points less in the first group of the Olympic Games. Only one round of this sport has been played so far, the team beat New Zealand 2-1 and Canada returns to the field on Sunday to face host France.
The Canadian Federation was subsequently fined 200,000 Swiss francs (about 1.2 million Brazilian reals). The Canadians can still appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Analyst Joseph Lombardi, who piloted the drone, and his assistant Yasmin Mander, who reported on it, were also banned for one year by FIFA from participating in any football-related activity. Both were flown to Canada.
Coach Bev Priestman was absent from the sidelines of the first game against Canada last Thursday because of a spying crisis. Hours later, the country’s federation announced his exclusion from the remainder of the competition. With FIFA’s decision, you won’t be able to work in football for a year. Team Canada will be coached by his assistant, Andy Spence, for the remainder of the Games.
Remember the spy case?
Earlier this week, the New Zealand Olympic Committee informed French police that a drone had been spotted flying over the country’s women’s football team’s training grounds. A member of the Canadian technical committee was later identified as the person operating the device. The New Zealand committee then filed a formal complaint with the IOC and asked it to take action.
The Canadian national team subsequently expelled two professionals from its coaching staff after they were arrested by French police. The country’s Olympic Committee sent home analyst Joseph Lombardi, who piloted the drone, and his assistant Yasmin Mander, who made the report. FIFA subsequently opened disciplinary proceedings against Canada and the professionals involved in the case.
Last Thursday, the crisis escalated after a TSN report revealed that the country’s men’s and women’s teams had been snooping at competitions in recent years, including a record-breaking one at the Tokyo Olympics, when the Canadian team won the gold medal.
Meanwhile, Canadian Football Association CEO Kevin Blow has revealed that this action was not an isolated incident. An investigation has been opened into the possible systematic use of spy drones, particularly within the country’s men’s team. During the last CONCACAF men’s football qualifying competition, the Honduras national team was forced to stop training in Toronto after a drone was spotted on site.
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