On the eve of the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Canada Women’s National Team found itself at the centre of a drone spying scandal. Word began to spread that French authorities were involved after a drone flew over New Zealand’s closed-door training session.
Canada faced New Zealand in their opening match of the Games, and while the reigning gold medallists enjoyed a 2-1 win over the Football Ferns, their triumph was soured. Canada were handed a six-point deduction following the drone investigation, and manager Bev Priestman was sent home and banned from ‘any football-related activity’ for one year.
In spite of the controversy off the pitch, Canada progressed from the group stages, even with their points deduction. However, their title reign has come to an end and the gold medallists are out. The Canucks were eliminated in the quarterfinals after a penalty shootout defeat to Germany.
Here is a full recap of Canada’s chaotic 2024 Olympics campaign.
Canada investigated over drone report
Canada Soccer’s initial response to the drone incident saw analyst Joseph Lombardi and assistant coach Jasmine Mander sent home from the Olympic camp. Head coach Priestman also announced that she would not take charge of the team’s opening game against New Zealand. Assistant head coach Andy Spence stepped in during her absence.
The incident was met with widespread condemnation from across the footballing world. FIFA’s disciplinary committee announced it had opened proceedings into the matter, with details of an identical incident three days earlier coming to light.
A joint statement from Canada Soccer President Peter Augruso and CEO Kevin Blue expressed their unequivocal disappointment. The pair confirmed that the federation would hold an independent review into the incident. Priestman herself released a statement apologising ‘to the players and staff at New Zealand Football and to the players on Team Canada.’
Indeed, both current and former players from within the Canadian setup quickly began to speak out. All-time top scorer Christine Sinclair released a statement on social media defending the players on the team.
Priestman suspended from Olympic team
Despite the storm surrounding the game, Canada pulled off a slender 2-1 win over New Zealand during their opening match. However, just hours after the game, a further statement from Canada Soccer laid bare the scale of the issue.
“Over the past 24 hours, additional information has come to our attention regarding previous drone use against opponents, predating the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” it read. The statement also added that Priestman would be removed as Olympic head coach and would remain suspended pending an independent external review.
FIFA announce footballing bans
The following weekend brought further woes for the federation as FIFA announced its sanctions. Lombardi, Mander and Priestman all received a 12-month ban from footballing activity for their roles in the scandal. On the pitch, Team Canada were docked six points from their Olympic group stage, leaving them on -3 points in Group A. The Canadian Soccer Association was fined £175,720, with the decision subject to appeal in the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
A statement released by Priestman on that Sunday confirmed she would cooperate with all investigations into the matter.
Soccer Canada appeals punishment
Canada Soccer had initially appealed the punishment stating that the deduction ‘unfairly punishes the athletes for actions they had no part in and goes far beyond restoring fairness to the match against New Zealand.’ However, a decision by the CSA has confirmed that the sanction will stand.
Despite the turmoil off the pitch, Canada fought their way through the group stages and secured their place in the quarterfinals. A lone Vanessa Gilles goal against Colombia was enough to snatch all three points and finish second in Group A.
Speaking after the France game, Gilles said, “We have nothing to lose. We haven’t slept in three days, we haven’t eaten, we’ve been crying. I wouldn’t say these are ideal performance situations, but we’ve held each other through it, and we’ve had absolutely nothing to lose. What has given us energy is each other, is our determination, is our pride in proving people wrong. I’ve said time and time again, we’re not cheaters, we’re damn good players and we’re a damn good team.”
Canada’s title race ends
The quarterfinals saw the Canadians come up against Germany in the final eight. The game proved a nervy affair with neither side able to score in regular or extra time. The resulting penalty shoot-out saw Germany progress to the semifinals after scoring four penalties to Canada’s two.
