Canada lost its soccer drone spying appeal as the Court of Arbitration for Sports dismissed it. Thus, its women’s soccer team will be deducted points during the Paris Summer Olympics. Three CAS judges confirmed FIFA’s ruling on the topic.
Two assistant coaches used drones to spy on New Zealand’s preparations the week before their first match. Canada was penalized six points, and FIFA banned coach Bev Priestman and officials Jasmine Mander and Joseph Lombardi from soccer-related activities for one year. This came after New Zealand lodged a complaint with FIFA over the use of drones during Canadian training sessions before their first match.
The decision was made hastily, less than eight hours before Canada and Colombia would face off in Nice in the last round of Group A games. According to soccer betting industry reports, Canada is the reigning champion of the Olympic women’s soccer event.
Canada’s Soccer Drone Spying Appeal Dismissed
Despite beating New Zealand and France, Canada still has no points and is in third place. With a victory on Wednesday, Canada still has a shot at making it to the quarterfinals. There has never been a punishment in contemporary soccer as severe as six points for a rule infraction during a competition.
Ecuador is taking a three-point hit to qualify for South America’s men’s 2026 World Cup. Judges from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) issued the sentence because Ecuador fielded an ineligible player with fraudulent documentation during its successful qualification cycle for the 2022 World Cup.
The Canadian Soccer Federation expressed displeasure with the ruling and maintained that its players should not have been unfairly penalized for transgressions outside its control.
Canada Olympic Committee Thanks CAS for Expedited Hearing
The national federation went on to say that, in response to media allegations suggesting that drone usage could have existed before the Paris Games, an external, independent study had been launched, with an initial emphasis on the Olympic incident.
Canada Soccer and the Canada Olympic Committee released a joint statement on Wednesday, expressing gratitude to the CAS for the accelerated hearing.
On Monday, Sport Canada withheld Priestman’s and the other two banned team officials’ salary funds. Sport Canada said the drone controversy that has shaken the Paris Olympic soccer competition is a shame for all Canadians. Priestman coached Canada’s three-year-old gold medal victory in Tokyo.
Canada Advances to Quarterfinals
Canada advanced to Wednesday’s quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics with a 1-0 win over Colombia, thanks to a goal scored by Vanessa Gilles in the 62nd minute. The team had lost six points due to a drone espionage controversy, but they still managed to advance. On Saturday, in Marseille, Canada will play Germany in the quarterfinals.
The Canadian national team needed a win in Wednesday’s match in Nice to progress in the tournament. Despite winning their previous two matches, they barely garnered a point each. Learn some soccer betting secrets before the next game.
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