Canadian Olympic scandal: Drone spying rocks women's football
A scandal erupted before the start of Thursday's match in the women's football tournament at the 2024 Olympic Games. The Canadian team attempted to spy on New Zealand using a drone. Once this was discovered, it caused an uproar that was likely to prompt a response from FIFA.
26 July 2024 07:37
The official opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games will take place in Paris on Friday, 26 July. Consequently, no competitions are scheduled for this day, although matches occurred on Wednesday and Thursday.
The first matches of the women's football tournament were scheduled for the day before the event above. Six games were played, including the encounter between Canada and New Zealand (2-1). Before it began, a peculiar incident took place.
During the New Zealanders ' training session, a drone was spotted observing the field. The police were informed about the situation and discovered that an unaccredited member of the Canadian delegation, a competitor of the New Zealand team, was using the equipment.
This prompted the New Zealand Olympic Committee to complain to the IOC and FIFA. A swift response followed, resulting in assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi being sent home from the Olympic Games.
- On behalf of our entire team, I first and foremost want to apologize to the players and staff at New Zealand Football and to the players on Team Canada. This does not represent the values that our team stands for - said New Zealand head coach Beverley Priestman.
FIFA announced significant information regarding the incident on Thursday evening. The International Football Federation has initiated action.
Its disciplinary committee has reportedly started proceedings involving Priestman, Mander, and Lombardi. Let us recall that only the first of these individuals remained with the team in the French capital.
