Canadian women’s soccer coach Bev Priestman says she is taking responsibility and cooperating with the investigation into a spying scandal involving the women’s soccer team that exploded at the Paris Olympics.
Preistman made his first public comments on the scandal on Sunday in a statement released through his lawyer.
“I am truly sorry to the players and I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart for the impact this situation has had on all of them,” Priestman said in a statement released shortly before Canada faced hosts France in Saint-Etienne.
“I know how hard they are working after a very difficult 2023 and that they are a group of people who care deeply about sportsmanship and integrity. As a team leader on the ground, I want to take responsibility and I intend to cooperate fully with this investigation.
Priestman and two of his assistants were suspended by FIFA for a year as part of sanctions over a situation that began when an analyst was caught using a drone to spy on the New Zealand team training before the start of the Olympic competition. His assistant coaches and eventually Priestman were all removed from the Olympic team and sent home.
The sanctions also include a six-point penalty — the equivalent of two Olympic tournament wins — for defending champion Canada in Paris and a fine of approximately $313,000 imposed on Canada Soccer.
Earlier Sunday, Canadian Sports Minister Carla Qualtrough announced that the government was withholding some funding from Canada Soccer following the scandal.
Qualtrough said that because the women’s program receives funding from Sport Canada, it is withholding funds “related to suspended Canadian football officials” for the duration of the FIFA sanctions.
A spokesperson for Qualtrough’s office confirmed the funds in question were for salaries, but Sport Canada is still determining the exact amount that will have to be cut. The funds will not impact overall funding available for women’s programming, they said.
“Using drones to monitor other teams during closed practices is cheating,” Qualtrough said. “It’s completely unfair to Canadian players and the opposing team. It undermines the integrity of the game itself.”
He added there was a “very concerning” pattern of behaviour within Canada Soccer.
“We must and we will get to the root of this problem,” Qualtrough said.
Priestman said Canada’s achievements, including a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, were legally earned.
“This program and this team took this country to the top of women’s soccer, and their gold medal was achieved through grit and determination, despite reports to the contrary,” said Priestman, who coached Canada in Tokyo. “I fought as hard as I could to improve this program, much of which will never be known or understood.”
“I wish I could say more, but I will refrain at this time, given the ongoing appeal and investigation process.
Earlier this week, Canada Soccer announced it would conduct an independent external review. Chief executive Kevin Blue, who has only been in the job for a few months, said he was investigating possible “systemic ethical deficiencies.”
The Canadian Olympic Committee said it was “considering appeal rights” regarding the six-point deduction. Messages left with the COC and the Court of Arbitration for Sport were not immediately returned.
The penalty points did not eliminate Canada from the tournament, but made its chances of qualifying for the round of 16 much more difficult.
Former Canadian goalie Stephanie Labbe – who helped the team win an Olympic gold medal three years ago – expressed her feelings via social media Sunday morning.
“Angry. Angry. Sad. Heartbroken,” he wrote. “These players did not deserve this. They were let down by many people around them, not just the national team staff. We support these players and everyone who has ever been a part of this program, and we are working hard to build it up, not tear it down.”
Canada opened the tournament with a 2-1 win over New Zealand. Canada’s final Group A match will be played Wednesday against Colombia in Nice.
“This issue has caused significant disruption and embarrassment to Team Canada and all Canadians in Paris and back home,” Qualtrough said. “Very regrettable.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2024.
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