Paris, Beritasatu.com – The Canadian women’s soccer team has been demoted six points by FIFA, and coach Bev Priestman has been banned from playing soccer for one year. The sanctions were imposed after Canada spied on a training session of New Zealand, its Group A opponent at the women’s Olympic soccer tournament in Paris.
Canada beat New Zealand 2-1 in the first round, but according to FIFA, its points total is currently -3. This put the North American representative in danger of being eliminated from the group stage and not being able to defend its gold medal.
In the two remaining matches of the group stage, Canada will face France today, July 28, and Colombia on July 31.
Priestman, who worked as an assistant to former Man Utd defender Phil Neville with the England women’s team before taking charge of Canada in 2020, has been banned from any football-related activity for 12 months. Two of Priestman’s assistants implicated in the case, analyst Joseph Lombardi and assistant coach Jasmine Mander, have also been banned for a year.
FIFA said it would also impose a fine of US$226,000 for Canada’s violation of a ban on the use of drones at any training ground.
David Shoemaker, executive director of the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), said he is considering his options and will likely appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Canadian Soccer Federation CEO Kevin Blue also said FIFA’s sanction was excessive because those involved did not engage in unethical conduct.
The case will likely be brought before the Special Olympics Tribunal of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Paris. The tribunal was created to hold emergency hearings and decisions on the Olympics. According to ESPN, a six-point deduction is unprecedented in an international tournament.
Earlier, the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) said the women’s football team’s training session on July 22 was disrupted by drones Canada and reported the incident to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Integrity Unit.
The Canadian side subsequently reviewed the incident and removed analyst Joseph Lombardi and assistant coach Jasmine Mander from the country’s sports delegation participating in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Priestman apologized and did not lead the team in the opening match against New Zealand. His position was replaced by assistant coach Andy Spence. If Canada does not get its call-up, Spence will continue to lead the team for the remainder of the competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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