FIFA has suspended Canada women’s football coach, Bev Priestman for a year, docked six points from the team’s Olympic group stage total, and levied a fine on Saturday.
This action stems from an incident where Canada flew a drone over New Zealand’s training sessions prior to the Games.
This penalty has immediately jeopardized Canada’s chances for a consecutive gold medal, following their 2021 Olympic victory in Tokyo. The drone scandal raised immediate questions about that triumph.
Team analyst Joseph Lombardi, who operated the drone and initiated a major investigation into Canada football was also handed a one-year suspension, along with assistant coach Jasmine Mander.
The FIFA appeal committee chairman delivered the ruling.
FIFA cited breaches of article 13 of its code of conduct and article 6.1 of the Olympic football tournament regulations, both emphasizing fair play.
The swift decision was influenced by its potential impact on the current Olympic tournament.
Canada, part of Group A, secured a 2-1 win against New Zealand in their opener and is scheduled to face host France on Sunday.
Additionally, FIFA imposed a 200,000 Swiss francs fine, equivalent to $312,700 Canadian or roughly $225,000 U.S., compounding financial woes for Canada Soccer over the past year.
Despite the incident’s occurrence at the Olympics, FIFA holds jurisdiction as the sport’s international governing body, overseeing the Olympic tournaments.
The International Olympic Committee could impose its own sanctions.
New Zealand had requested that FIFA void Canada’s points from their group stage victory prior to Saturday’s decision.
Canada Soccer has been informed of the ruling and may seek a “motivated decision” for a detailed explanation of FIFA’s verdict, which could be appealed before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Canada can still progress from Group A, comprising France, Colombia, and New Zealand, if they secure victories in all three matches, earning three points, depending on other results.
With the Olympic tournament’s limited size of 12 teams, eight advance — including the top two third-place teams.
Canada could potentially advance with a single point, though it would rely on poor performances and goal differentials of other teams.
Canada football federation removed Priestman from the Olympics on Friday, citing “additional information” about prior drone use against opponents before the Paris Games.
The federation has committed to a comprehensive investigation across its program.
Canada football federation CEO Kevin Blue expressed concerns about a “potential long-term, deeply embedded systemic culture” of surveillance against other teams.
Canada federation had hoped to avoid direct repercussions for the team in France. Blue emphasized that players were unaware of any drone use and should not be penalized.
“Specifically, we do not feel that a deduction of points in this tournament would be fair to our players, particularly in light of the significant and immediate steps we’ve taken to address the situation,” he said Friday.
FIFA’s disciplinary committee focused on the recent events at the Olympics.
New Zealand team staff reported a drone over their practice in Saint-Étienne on July 22, prompting them to alert local police. Lombardi, an “unaccredited analyst” with Canada’s women’s team, was detained, and authorities discovered footage from a New Zealand training session on July 19.
Canada Soccer attempted to mitigate further punishment by sending Lombardi and Mander home. Priestman also opted out of coaching Canada’s opening match against New Zealand.
The situation escalated rapidly.
Blue acknowledged multiple incidents of similar behavior within the program based on anecdotal evidence, including a drone attempt to surveil an opponent’s training at Copa America.
