Canada’s women’s soccer team will be without head coach Bev Priestman for the remainder of the Paris Olympics after a drone spying scandal. Canada Soccer announced Priestman’s suspension following their 2-1 victory over New Zealand, with assistant coach Andy Spence stepping in as interim coach.
The scandal unfolded when a Canada Soccer staffer was caught flying a drone over New Zealand’s training session earlier in the week, leading to Priestman’s suspension. According to reports, both the men’s and women’s national teams have a history of using drones for spying purposes.
Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue stated, “Over the past 24 hours, additional information has come to our attention regarding previous drone use against opponents, predating the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. In light of these new revelations, Canada Soccer has made the decision to suspend women’s national team head coach Bev Priestman for the remainder of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”
Following the incident, Canadian staffer Joseph Lombardi was detained by French police for flying a drone over New Zealand practices multiple times. Lombardi accepted an eight-month suspended sentence for his actions, prompting investigations that led to the removal of Lombardi and assistant coach Jasmine Mander from the Canadian delegation.
Priestman, who self-imposed a one-game suspension, expressed responsibility for the program’s conduct, although she claimed to have no knowledge of the drone operation. Canada, who won gold in Tokyo, will face France next in group play at the Olympics.