Canadian head coach Bev Priestman watches Canada’s Women’s World Cup match against Ireland in Perth, Australia, in July 2023.
Gary Day/AP
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Gary Day/AP
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PARIS – Canada’s sports minister says the government will suspend funding for three soccer officials suspended over Team Canada’s use of spy drones as the fallout from the scandal grows.
Football’s governing body FIFA has suspended women’s coach Bev Priestman for a year after it emerged that drones were used to spy on Canadian opponents during Olympic training in Paris. Two other Team Canada employees were fired and suspended for a year.
Sports Minister Carla Qualtero issued a strongly worded statement on Sunday, announcing that Sport Canada, which funds the women’s program, would cease financial support for the three officials while FIFA sanctions are imposed.
“The pattern of behavior in Canadian football is deeply concerning,” Quattro said. “We must and will get to the bottom of this. The Government of Canada will closely monitor the investigation and outcomes of the ongoing Canada Football process.”
Canada is the defending gold medalist and ranked eighth in the world. Their drone use first surfaced last week; their staff allegedly conducted espionage operations against lower-ranked New Zealand on the eve of their group-stage opener, culminating in the arrest of a man with ties to the Canadian team arrested and sentenced to eight months in prison. French prosecutors said in a statement that the man, who worked as an analyst for the team before being sacked, “effectively filmed the New Zealand women’s team training behind closed doors with the help of a drone”.
Another penalty from FIFA included a six-point penalty for Canada at the Olympic soccer tournament, which all but guaranteed the team would not advance from the group stage.
Canada Soccer suspended head coach Priestman for the remainder of the Paris Olympics and said it had launched an independent external review into the incident. Assistant coach Andy Spence will lead the team for the remainder of the Olympics.
There are signs that espionage had been going on for years before the Paris scandal.
“This issue has caused significant disruption and embarrassment to Team Canada and all Canadians in Paris and at home,” Quattro wrote. “It is deeply regrettable.”
“As events on this issue continue to evolve,” she continued, “I encourage Canadians to cheer for all of our incredible Olympic athletes. They work hard and deserve our unwavering support.”
