Olympics head coach sent home and suspended over ‘spying’ scandal | Football | Sport
Canadian women’s head coach Bev Priestman has been sent home from Paris after being suspended by the Canadian Olympic Committee. Priestman, 38, watched her side’s opening 2-1 win over New Zealand from the team hotel on Thursday, following the spying row that had marred the build-up.
New Zealand had filed a complaint that a drone had been flown over their training base in Saint-Etienne on Monday as the team prepared for the tournament.
The IOC and FIFA duly opened investigations into the claim, with two Canadian staff members sent home as assistant coach Andy Spence deputised for Priestman at the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium.
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And now Kevin Blue, Canada Soccer CEO and General Secretary, has confirmed that Priestman will play no further part in the Summer Games. He also revealed the authority were investigating other incidents of drone use.
“Over the past 24 hours, additional information has come to our attention regarding previous drone use against opponents, predating the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” he said. “In light of these new revelations, Canada Soccer has made the decision to suspend Women’s National Soccer Team Head Coach, Bev Priestman for the remainder of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”
Priestman led the team to gold at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics. But Blue added she would now remain suspended “until the completion of our recently announced independent external review.”
The committee also confirmed that Joseph Lombardi, described as an ‘unaccredited analyst’ and coach Jasmine Mander has also been sent home. Canada Soccer will also now undergo mandatory ‘ethics training’ and be reminded over their future conduct.
That development followed an apology to opposition players on Wednesday. A subsequent response from the New Zealand Olympic Committee said the authority was “deeply shocked and disappointed by this incident.”
When the clash did take place, Canada came back from a 1-0 deficit with goals from Cloe Lacasse and Evelyne Viens. But the squad could be in for a hostile reception on Sunday when they face hosts France.
The saga is the second high-profile football related controversy to plague the first week of the Olympics. Crowd trouble forced the men’s Argentina v Morocco game be suspended for nearly two hours amid chaotic scenes, with the game eventually completed in an empty stadium.
Cristian Medina had appeared to make it 2-2 in the 16th minute of injury time, prompting ugly scenes. Pay finally resumed after VAR had ruled out the equaliser, with Morocco securing a controversial 2-1 win.
