FIFA has deducted six points from Canada in the women’s soccer tournament at the upcoming Paris Olympics and has suspended three coaches for one year each due to a drone surveillance scandal. The shocking penalties were announced on Saturday evening and include a fine of 200,000 Swiss francs (approximately 226,000 dollars) imposed on the Canadian Soccer Association (Canadian Soccer Association).
Two assistant coaches were caught using drones to monitor New Zealand’s training sessions ahead of their opening match on Wednesday. Head coach Bev Priestman, who led Canada to Olympic gold in Tokyo 2021, was already suspended by the national football federation and has now been removed from the Olympic tournament. Priestman has also been banned from all football activities by FIFA for one year.
FIFA has expedited its disciplinary process by asking the appeals judges to handle the case. The judges concluded that Priestman and her two assistants were “each found responsible for abusive behavior and violations of fair play principles.” The Canadian Soccer Association was deemed responsible for failing to ensure that its staff adhered to tournament regulations.
The coaches and the Canadian association can challenge their sanctions at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which has a specialized Olympic tribunal in Paris. This tribunal is designed for urgent cases and judgments related to the Olympics. The 38-year-old Priestman, originally from England, was appointed as the head coach for Canada in 2020, with a contract running through the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
In the wake of the scandal, Priestman stepped down from coaching the defending champions in their opening match against New Zealand on Wednesday. Canadian officials suspect that the surveillance activities may have been systematic over the years. Her two assistants were sent home for allegedly using a drone to spy on New Zealand’s training. Despite the controversy, Canada won the match 2-1, guided by interim coach Andy Spence.
If the point deduction is upheld by CAS judges, it will not eliminate Canada from the tournament, but it may require the team to win all three matches in Group A to advance, likely as the second-placed team. Canada will face group leaders France on Sunday in Saint-Etienne and then meet Colombia on Thursday in Nice.