Gold Medal-Winning Coach Suspended From Paris Olympics For Drone-Spying Scandal

The way forward for Bev Priestman, who guided the Canadian girls’s soccer crew to gold in Tokyo, is now up within the air.

Canada girls’s soccer coach Bev Priestman was suspended and faraway from the crew for the Paris Olympics within the wake of a drone-spying scandal Friday, and the pinnacle of Canada Soccer mentioned he was investigating a possible “systemic ethical shortcoming.”

Kevin Blue, Canada Soccer’s CEO and basic secretary, emphasised that the gamers weren’t concerned in any unethical conduct on the Paris Games. The crew is at present coaching in Saint-Etienne.

“At the moment we are trying to directly address what appears to look like it could be a systemic ethical shortcoming, in a way that’s frankly, unfortunately painful right now, but is turning out to be a necessary part of the rehabilitation process,” Blue mentioned.

Priestman’s future with the crew is “pending the outcome of our review of this matter entirely,” Blue mentioned.

“Upon gathering more information from that review, that will be an additional opportunity to see what steps additionally need to be taken, if any,” Blue mentioned.

Earlier within the day, Canadian Olympic Committee chief govt David Shoemaker informed reporters in Paris that Priestman was probably conscious that drones have been used to spy on New Zealand’s practices in France. Priestman has denied the allegations.

Blue additionally mentioned he realized of a potential drone incident involving the lads’s nationwide crew at Copa America. He mentioned it was his understanding that it didn’t have an effect on the aggressive integrity of the competitors however wouldn’t provide particulars.

Asked whether or not males’s coach Jesse Marsch was conscious of potential drone utilization at that match that ended earlier this month within the United States, Blue mentioned Marsch was conscious after the actual fact and has “denounced it as a practice to his staff.”

Canada superior to the semifinals of the Copa America earlier than falling 2-0 to Argentina.

The Canadian girls defeated New Zealand 2-1 within the crew’s Olympic opener in Saint-Etienne on Thursday. Because of the scandal, Priestman had stepped apart for the match and interim coach Andy Spence led the crew.

Hours after the match, the COC introduced Priestman was eliminated for the remainder of the match.

Canada’s camp was thrown into disarray earlier this week after two crew staffers have been despatched house for allegedly utilizing a drone to spy on a New Zealand apply.

FIFA — soccer’s world governing physique — and the International Olympic Committee have been additionally investigating the incident.

Blue mentioned that after the opener he was made conscious of recent info associated to the drone scandal, which led to Priestman’s suspension.

“They gave me reasons to think further about the potential that this behavior was systemic,” Blue mentioned. “And while we are certainly reserving judgement until the conclusion of our review, the concrete information I received yesterday made me consider the possibility, at least, that this matter is more extensive.”

Federation officers met with the gamers Friday morning. Canada subsequent performs host France on Sunday, additionally in Saint-Etienne.

The COC mentioned earlier within the week that that assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi have been despatched house for his or her involvement within the drone surveillance.

“My reaction was you feel like this program has let the country down,” the 38-year-old Priestman mentioned. “That’s why I took the proactive step to do what I felt was the right thing. Irrespective of the details, I’m ultimately accountable.”

Priestman is beneath contract via the 2027 Women’s World Cup. She took over in 2020 and led the crew to a gold medal on the 2021 Olympics. But Canada was eradicated within the group stage of final 12 months’s Women’s World Cup.

She has coached the crew to twenty-eight wins, 9 losses and 10 attracts.

Blue didn’t specify a timeline for completion of the investigation.“I’m hopeful that with the decision that we made last night, that following the press conference today, we can move forward and allow the the focus to be on the players in the competition for the remainder of the Olympics, so that the players have the opportunity to really be focused on the competition during the time of the Olympic games,” he mentioned.