Foot & Soccer Soccer Match Reports, Football NewsNovember 11 – The Canadian Soccer Association says an independent review has confirmed the Paris Olympics drone spy scandal that made sporting headlines across the world was not an isolated misstep.
Last July, the Court of Arbitration for Sport turned down Canada’s appeal against a six-point deduction for their women’s team in the wake of the scandal.
Canada women’s coach Bev Priestman, assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi are currently all serving one-year FIFA suspensions after New Zealand’s Olympic Committee filed a complaint with the IOC’s integrity unit, alleging drones were flown over a pair of pre-tournament practice sessions.
The Canadians did not appeal Priestman’s ban but argued that penalising the players was a sanction for an offence they had no control over.
In the end, Canada, who were defending Olympic champions, lost in the quarterfinals to Germany on penalties.
Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue has now confirmed the spying “was a symptom of a past pattern of an unacceptable culture and insufficient oversight within the national teams.”
CSA board chair Peter Augruso added: “We know that more needs to be done and change takes time.”
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