- The Canadian women’s soccer team are the defending gold medalists at the Summer Olympics in Paris.
- Two staff members were sent home after it was found that they were flying drones over the practice of New Zealand, their first opponent in the tournament.
- Head coach Bev Priestman has also been sent home, and an investigation has revealed that opponents’ training sessions have been recorded by drones in the past.
There is a black cloud hanging over the Canadian women’s soccer team, which is in France to defend its 2020 gold-medal win. It is revealed that members of the team’s staff authorized drones to be flown over New Zealand’s training sessions. The team was Canada’s first opponent in France.
Canada Soccer has released a statement regarding the suspension of head coach Bev Priestman, who has been sent home, along with the two members involved in the drone controversy. It has also been revealed that this wasn’t the first time Canada has used drones to spy on opponents.
Canada Flew Drones to Record New Zealand’s Training Sessions
Ahead of Canada’s first game of the Olympic tournament, New Zealand alleged that there were drones flying over a closed training session. It was found to be true, and Canada sent two staff members home.
Priestman then decided to excuse herself from coaching against New Zealand, where she was head of football development from 2009 to 2013. Priestman was named the coach of the Canadian women’s team in October 2020.
However, a later report from ESPN claims that Priestman “likely” knew about the drones being used to spy on opponents. Canada Soccer released a statement:
"The Canadian Olympic Committee has removed the Canadian Women's National Soccer Team Head Coach Bev Priestman from the Canadian Olympic Team due to her suspension by Canada Soccer. Assistant coach Andy Spence will lead the Women's National Soccer Team for the remainder of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games."
Priestman is now suspended for at least the rest of this tournament. Her job is likely in jeopardy as it is alleged that Canada has been using drones since she took over the team in 2020.
The Canadian team defeated New Zealand 2-1 on Thursday behind goals from Cloe Lacasse and Evelyne Viens. However, that result has now been tainted by this controversy, as has Canada’s involvement in the Olympic tournament.
Canada Has Allegedly Been Using Drones as Far Back As 2020
TSN, the Canadian equivalent to ESPN, released a report that this has been brewing for years now. It was alleged that they team used drones ahead of a November 2019 game against the United States, which Canada lost 4-1.
At the 2021 Summer Olympics, Japan accused Canada of spying on them ahead of a 1-1 draw in their Olympic opener. Then in 2022, text messages were revealed that a Canadian coach (to our knowledge, not Priestman) had been planning to record sessions for Costa Rica, South Korea, and Trinidad.
Before the 2023 World Cup, Canada Soccer tried to recruit a contractor to record training sessions of Canadian opponents. The contractor declined, and they were dismissed. A Canada Soccer employee was sent to Australia to do the job instead.
Sweden, who lost to Canada on penalties in the gold-medal game at the 2021 Olympics, said that they weren’t planning to protest and speak on the matter.
This is a bad look for the Canadian soccer program, and many are clamoring for them to be kicked out of the tournament. Ali Krieger, a former Team USA player, said she was surprised that Canada hasn’t been banished from the Olympic tournament.
This also extends to the men’s program, as Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue claims that drones were also used at this summer’s Copa America. The team finished fourth in this competition.
Now, all of Canada’s past achievements will be tainted with accusations of cheating, at least going back to 2020. It will also be interesting to see how this affects their odds at Olympic betting sites for this tournament. How will they respond? Will they even be allowed to continue? Will their gold medal from 2021 be taken away? There are countless questions to be answered, and this story isn’t over.
