Canada’s Women’s Team Challenges Points Deduction

Canada’s women’s football team has appealed the deduction of six points from their Olympic group stage total which FIFA imposed after a drone spied on a rival team’s training session. They have not challenged the one-year ban that FIFA imposed on their coach, Bev Priestman. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will announce its decision on the appeal by 11:00 BST on Wednesday.

The Canadian Olympic Committee and Canada Soccer argue that the points deduction is excessively harsh and seek either its cancellation or reduction. Canada Soccer contends that the points deduction unfairly penalizes the athletes, who did not participate in the incident, and exceeds what is necessary to restore fairness. The team, now in third place in Group A with zero points due to the deduction, remains in contention for the quarter-finals.

They can still advance if they secure a victory against Colombia in their final group match. FIFA fined the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) £175,720 and banned Priestman, who had already lost her role as Olympic head coach on Saturday. FIFA imposed these sanctions due to the drone incident which the organization deemed a violation of its principles. Additionally, FIFA suspended CSA officials Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander for one year.

Despite the controversy, interim coach Andy Spence led Canada to victories in their first two Group A matches against New Zealand and hosts France. Canada’s appeal aims to address what it views as an unfair points deduction while accepting the coaching ban and other sanctions. The team seeks to reverse or reduce the penalty imposed due to the drone incident.