Bev Priestman Expresses Regret After Drone Scandal

Bev Priestman, Canada’s women’s football head coach expressed deep sadness after a drone scandal jeopardized the Olympic champions’ title defense. The Paris 2024 Games docked the team six points, and FIFA banned Priestman from football for a year. Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) officials Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander also received a one-year suspension from all football activities.

The sanctions followed an incident where someone used a drone to spy on New Zealand’s training session, a team in Canada’s group at the Paris Games. Brev Priestman apologized, expressing heartfelt regret for the impact on the players and reaffirming her commitment to sportsmanship and integrity. She promised full cooperation with the ongoing CSA investigation and urged the public to support the team.

In response, Canada’s government decided to withhold funding for the suspended officials. Carla Qualtrough, the sports minister, condemned the drone incident as “cheating” and described it as causing significant embarrassment for the team and Canadians. She emphasized that the incident undermined the integrity of the game. Sport Canada, which funds elite national sports organizations, will cut funding for the suspended officials during their FIFA ban.

Canadian Olympic Committee CEO David Shoemaker expressed concerns that the scandal might tarnish the team’s gold medal from the Tokyo Games, following reports that drones had been used at previous tournaments. Qualtrough highlighted a troubling pattern of behavior at Canada Soccer and assured that the government would closely monitor the investigation.

The Future of Sport in Canada Commission will also review the situation and recommend improvements. Despite the controversy, Canada, under assistant coach Andy Spence, won their opening matches against New Zealand and France in Group A. A recent 2-1 victory over France secured by Vanessa Gilles’ late goal, keeps their quarter-final hopes alive. They must win their final group match against Colombia to advance.