Football coach expelled for using drone to spy on opposition team at Paris 2024 Olympics



The opening ceremony of the 33rd Summer Olympic Games (Paris 2024 Olympics) will begin at 2:00 on July 27, 2024, Japan time. The first soccer match was held prior to the opening, with the Japanese men's team winning 5-0 against the Paraguayan national team, but the women's teamlosing 1-2 to the Spanish national team. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, it was revealed that staff from the Canadian women's soccer team had been using a drone to spy on the practice of the opposing team, New Zealand, and the national team's coach was expelled.

COC statement on Canada Soccer - Team Canada - Official Olympic Team Website
https://olympic.ca/press/coc-statement-on-canada-soccer/



On July 24, 2024, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), Canada's national Olympic committee, announced that 'on July 22, we were notified by the New Zealand Football Association that a non-official staff member of the Canadian women's national soccer team was detained by authorities in Saint-Etienne, France.'

The staff member in question is believed to have been using a drone to film the New Zealand women's national soccer team's training. The COC, which advocates fair play, said it was 'shocked and disappointed' by the incident. It also issued a statement saying it 'sincerely apologises to the New Zealand Football Association, all the players affected and the New Zealand Olympic Committee.'

Initially, the COC commented that it was 'consulting with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the Canadian Football Association and the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) about our future response,' but later announced that it had revealed the full extent of the incident and imposed sanctions and penalties.

COC statement on drone incident in Saint-Étienne - Team Canada - Official Olympic Team Website
https://olympic.ca/press/coc-statement-on-drone-incident-in-saint-etienne/

According to the COC, the Canadian women's national soccer team appears to have used a drone to capture training sessions of the New Zealand women's national soccer team on two occasions, July 19 and July 22, 2024. Joseph Lombardi, an unofficial Canadian Soccer Association analyst involved in the drone footage, will be removed from the Canadian Olympic team and immediately sent home.

'The COC has also accepted that head coach Bev Priestman will not be in charge of the Canada vs. New Zealand match on July 26, 2024. Jasmine Mander, the assistant coach of the national team, who was notified by Lombardi, will also be removed from the Canadian Olympic team and sent home immediately.'

'We will require Canada Soccer staff to undergo mandatory ethics training,' the COC said in a statement, explaining, 'Canada Soccer has been transparent and cooperative throughout the process. The COC will continue to review this matter and may take further action if necessary.'

Regarding her decision to decline to coach the first match against New Zealand, head coach Bev Priestman issued the following statement: 'On behalf of the entire team, I would like to first apologize to the players and staff of the New Zealand Football Association, and to the players on the Canadian national team. Spying does not reflect the values our team stands for. I am ultimately responsible for the actions of our program and therefore have decided to voluntarily decline to coach Thursday's match to underscore our team's commitment to integrity. I will decline to coach the match with the best interests of both teams in mind and to ensure everyone feels that the sportsmanship of the match will be maintained.'

On July 25, 2024, the New Zealand Football Association issued a statement regarding drone spying by the Canadian women's national soccer team.

New Zealand Football statement on drone flown over Women's Olympic Team training session by Canadian team official
https://www.nzfootball.co.nz/newsarticle/143453?newsfeedId=1275622



Regarding the spying by the Canadian women's national soccer team, New Zealand Football Association CEO Andrew Pragnell said, 'This type of behavior has no place in football and it is vital that immediate action is taken to address this breach of integrity. We are extremely concerned to hear that the Canadian team secretly filmed our team training on at least two occasions. If this is not addressed swiftly, it could have wide-ranging implications for the integrity of the tournament. We understand that the COC has acknowledged the facts and taken its own sanctions against the Canadian national team, but given the seriousness of the matter and its potential impact on the integrity of the entire tournament, we will be referring this matter to FIFA's Disciplinary Committee for immediate action.'

The match between Canada and New Zealand was held at midnight on July 25, 2024, with Canadawinning 2-1.




After the Canadian women's national soccer team's first match, the COC announced that the Canadian Football Association had suspended head coach Bev Priestman and removed her from her position as head coach of the Canadian women's national soccer team. As a result, assistant coach Andy Spence will take over as interim head coach of the Canadian women's national soccer team for the duration of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

COC statement regarding Bev Priestman - Team Canada - Official Olympic Team Website
https://olympic.ca/press/coc-statement-regarding-bev-priestman/

'Over the past 24 hours, additional information has come to light regarding the Canadian Women's Soccer National Team's use of drones against opponents ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. In response, the Canadian Soccer Association has decided to suspend the coaching licence of Bev Priestman, the head coach of the women's soccer national team, for the duration of the Olympics and until an independent, external investigation is completed,' Canada Soccer Association executive director Kevin Blue said in a statement.




In addition, at the 2014 FIFA World Cup held in June 2014, a drone spied on the training scene of the French national team.

France's training for the World Cup is secretly filmed by drone - GIGAZINE



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