OLYMPIC GAMES: Tokyo champions Canada penalised six points over drone spy scandal
PARIS: Canada is almost certain appeal to to the Court of Arbitration’s Olympic emergency panel after their’s women’s football team was deducted six points from their Games group and had coach Bev Priestman banned for one year after a drone was used to spy on a rival team’s training sessions.
World federation FIFA announced the punishment which included a £175,720 fine for the Canadian Soccer Association, 24 hours after English-born Priestman was removed as Olympic head coach.
CSA officials Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander have also been suspended by Fifa for a year.
FIFA said the use of the drone had been in “violation” of its principles and added “The officials were each found responsible for offensive behaviour and violation of the principles of fair play in connection with the CSA’s Women’s representative team’s drones usage in the scope of the Olympic football tournament.”
Priestman “voluntarily” withdrew from her coaching duties for Canada’s opening game against the Kiwis after the New Zealand Olympic Committee reported a drone was flown over their training session on Monday.
FIFA and the CSA launched their own investigations and the latter said the 38-year-old was “highly likely” to have been aware of the incident.
In a statement on Wednesday, Priestman said she took responsibility for the actions of her colleagues after a scouting report filed by Lombardi was sent to Mander.
On Thursday, a French court said Lombardi had been given an eight-month suspended jail sentence after pleading guilty to flying a drone in an urban area without a licence.
The following day Canadian Olympic Committee chief executive David Shoemaker said there “appears to be information that could tarnish” Canada’s women’s football triumph from the Tokyo Games.
This followed Canadian media reports that drones had been used at previous tournaments.
Assistant coach Andy Spence will take charge for the remainder of the Games, with the defending Olympic champions’ next game against France.
Canada had beaten New Zealand in their opening game but the punishment left them on minus three in Group A, with games against the host nation and Colombia to come.
##########
