Canada’s women’s football team has lost six points in their Olympic group, and their coach, Bev Priestman, is banned for a year.
This happened because a drone was used to spy on another team’s training session. FIFA also fined the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) £175,720 and suspended CSA officials Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander for a year.
FIFA said using the drone went against their rules of fair play. Priestman stepped down from coaching Canada’s first game against New Zealand after the incident was reported.
The drone was used to watch New Zealand’s training session. Priestman later accepted responsibility for her team’s actions.
Investigations by FIFA and the CSA suggested that Priestman likely knew about the drone. Lombardi received an eight-month suspended jail sentence for flying the drone without a license.
David Shoemaker, the Canadian Olympic Committee chief, said this issue could affect the reputation of Canada’s previous Olympic gold win in Tokyo.
Assistant coach Andy Spence will lead the team for the rest of the Games. Canada won their first match against New Zealand, but due to FIFA’s penalty, they now have minus three points in Group A.
They still have to play against France and Colombia. The CSA can appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
For more details, you can check the BBC source.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/articles/ckdg0gqk4kqo