Olympics: Canada docked 6 points, coaches banned over spy scandal

MARSEILLE, France -- Canada women's soccer coach Bev Priestman has been suspended from coaching for one year and the Canadian team has been penalized six points during the Olympics, FIFA announced Saturday after investigating charges that Canada staff members used a drone to spy on an opponent's closed practice session last week.

The penalties are significant. For the Canadian team, which is hoping to defend the gold medal it won at the last Olympics in Tokyo, a six-point penalty will make it very difficult to advance to the knockout rounds, while Priestman -- who coached as an assistant under Phil Neville with England's women's national team before taking over Canada in 2020 -- is prohibited from "taking part in any football-related activity" for 12 months.

The sanctions, which also included a fine to the Canadian federation of about $226,000, were for violating "the applicable FIFA regulations in connection with its failure to ensure the compliance ... with the prohibition on flying drones over any training sites," FIFA said in its announcement.

"The officials were each found responsible for offensive behavior and violation of the principles of fair play," the statement continued.

Priestman's two assistants implicated in the case, Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander, were also banned from all soccer for one year.

The case is likely now heading for the Court of Arbitration for Sport's special Olympic court in Paris. That tribunal is set up for urgent hearings and verdicts at the Olympics, such as the coaches and Canadian federation challenging their sanctions.

The points deduction, if upheld by the CAS judges, does not eliminate Canada from the tournament. Canada next plays France on Sunday in Saint-Etienne and will need a win to stay alive in the tournament.

Canada won its opening match but would need to win both of its remaining two group-stage matches to have any hope of still advancing to the quarterfinals as one of two third-place teams.

Docking a team so many points is almost unprecedented in the middle of an international tournament.

Priestman has not coached at these Olympics after she stepped away from the team for its first match against New Zealand last week before Canada's federation announced she would be suspended for the remainder of the tournament.

She was then subsequently sent home from the Olympics by the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC).

Canada Soccer has also announced an independent investigation into the incident, as well as several previous similar circumstances that might indicate a systemic pattern.

There is no suggestion that the players were involved in the spying.

"At the moment we are trying to directly address what appears to look like it could be a systemic ethical shortcoming, in a way that's frankly, unfortunately painful right now, but is turning out to be a necessary part of the rehabilitation process," Kevin Blue, Canada Soccer's CEO, said previously at the Olympics.

Andy Spence, who previously coached Everton's women's team and joined Priestman's staff in 2022, has been coaching Canada in Priestman's absence.

The Canadian federation has not yet commented on Saturday's ruling.

Source : ESPN