Team Canada faces serious Olympic sanctions by FIFA due to drone scandal

Reports indicate that FIFA has stripped Canada of six points in the Paris Olympics women's soccer tournament and imposed a one-year ban on three coaches on Saturday due to a drone spying scandal.

The sanctions also involve a fine of 200,000 Swiss francs ($226,000) imposed on the Canadian soccer federation. The situation intensified when two assistant coaches were discovered using drones to monitor New Zealand's practices ahead of their opening game last Wednesday.

Head coach Bev Priestman, who guided Canada to the Olympic title in Tokyo in 2021, was previously suspended by the national soccer federation and removed from the Olympic tournament. She is now banned from all soccer activities for one year.

FIFA officials determined that Priestman and her two assistants were accountable for "unsportsmanlike conduct and breaches of fair play principles." Priestman and the Canadian federation have the option to contest their penalties at the Court of Arbitration for Sport's specialized Olympic court in Paris.

Soccer analysts are questioning the strategic benefit of the drone surveillance, while Canadian players Sinclair and Labbé have denied watching any drone footage. The scandal poses a significant threat to Canada Soccer's reputation.

Source: Puck Reporter
Team Canada officially penalized at Olympics due to drone scandal