The head coach of the Canadian women’s soccer team has been removed from her position after she ordered a drone to be flown over a rival’s training camp during the Olympics in Paris, France.
Bev Preistman, along with assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi, was fired after the trio had been suspended since the summer because of the scandal.
On the eve of the women’s Olympic soccer tournament, New Zealand lodged a formal complaint to the International Olympic Committee (IOS) alleging that a Canadian soccer support staff member flew a drove over their training session.
It prompted soccer’s governing body FIFA to fine Canada Soccer $228,000 and penalize the team six points in the Olympic competition. Preistman, Mander, and Lombardi were all suspended for a year.
Canada still advanced in the competition, making it to the quarter-final stage where the team lost to Germany on penalty kicks.
According to the BBC, some members of the Canada women’s coaching staff objected to Preistman’s orders to spy with the drone. An independent external investigation found that one coach raised concerns several times in the run-up to the Olympics.
It was also not the first time that Canadian coaches had spied on an opposing team. During the Tokyo Games in 2021, when Canada won the Gold Medal, it was found that two national team coaches “engaged in improper surveillance. ” However, the investigation found no evidence of drone use in Tokyo.
“The findings of the independent investigator reveal that the drone incident in Paris was a symptom of a past pattern of an unacceptable culture and insufficient oversight within the national teams,” Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue says in a statement.
“This is no longer part of our operations. In fact, the investigation findings strengthen our resolve to continue implementing changes that are needed to improve Canada Soccer, in all respects, and to do so with urgency. Even though the independent investigation has been concluded, there is more to be done to set things on a new course.”
Canada’s National Soccer Teams Allegedly Spied with Drones for Years
It’s not just the women’s team that is under scrutiny for using drones to spy on rivals. Canada Soccer has also initiated disciplinary proceedings against former coach of the men’s national side John Herman.
An allegation that a drone was used to film an opponent’s training session at the 2024 Copa America has not been substantiated. The current coach of the Canada men’s team, Jesse Marsch, has said he does not approve of “any efforts to surreptitiously film the practice sessions of opponents, and any such practices would not be permitted.”
Image credits: Elements of header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
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