Canada Olympics drone scandal, explained: Why women's national team coach is out in Paris
The Canadian Olympic Committee removed women's national team coach Bev Priestman at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Thursday amid stunning allegations of using drone surveillance to spy on the opposition.
Two staff members — assistant Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi — were also sent home before Priestman was suspended by Canada Soccer for the tournament. It all marked a steep fallout after the Canadian website TSN reported Canada's men's and women's teams had used drones to spy on opponents for years.
Canada, the reigning gold medalist, beat New Zealand 2-1 on Thursday in its Olympic opener. Priestman, Mander and Lombardi did not coach in the game.
"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," the COC statement said. "Assistant coach Andy Spence will lead the Women's National Soccer Team for the remainder of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games."
Here's what to know about the drone allegations:
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Canada drone surveillance surfaces at the Olympics
According to TSN, Lombardi was caught by French police retrieving a drone that had been flying over the training facility for the New Zealand national team. French police investigated and found additional video of New Zealand's practices, as well as text messages between Lombardi and Mander indicating that Mander was aware of Lombardi's actions.
Canada Olympic drone timeline, investigations
It's unclear when the surveillance started. TSN reported it could trace back prior to a match against the United States on Nov. 15, 2019. The U.S. won the game, 4-1.
The spying has been consistent ever since, according to the report published Thursday, with instances in 2021, '22 and '23. That includes the buildup to the 2021 CONCACAF match between the men's team and Honduras, which stopped practice in Toronto after noticing a drone flying overhead, the report said.
"I’d imagine there’s probably a lot of people in Canada that fly drones," John Herdman, then the coach of Canada's men's national team, said at the time.
"When a big team like Honduras turn up, I’m sure people are probably interested in what they’re doing when they come into our country," Herdman continued. "So I know for sure we won’t be heading into people’s countries too early because with drones these days, people can obviously capture footage. You’ve got to be really careful."
Jesse Marsch, current coach for the men's national team, was not implicated in the reporting.
What Bev Priestman said about Canada drone scandal
It wasn't immediately clear how much Priestman knew about the scandal.
FIFA and Canada Soccer launched investigations into the spying allegations Wednesday. Canada Soccer intends to make its findings public.
"I am ultimately responsible for conduct in our program," Priestman said Thursday in a statement, announcing the decision to voluntarily withdraw from coaching against New Zealand, prior to the COC decision. "In the spirit of accountability, I do this with the interests of both teams in mind and to ensure everyone feels that the sportsmanship of this game is upheld."
When does Canada play next?
Canada's next game is scheduled for Sunday, July 28 against France. Canada and France are both 1-0 in Group A play.