Canadian soccer officials provided FIFA with evidence that spying on opponents at the Paris Olympics has really taken place. The scandal about spying with the help of a drone can spread not only at the Olympics, where teams defend their champion title at the 2026 World Cup. Moreover, Canada is among the home teams of this tournament for 48 teams and co-hosts it with the USA and Mexico.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport announced that the world’s sports governing body imposed an impressive 6-digit penalty on Canada for spying on how New Zealand teams practiced before the game opening. It has reflected a lot on the amount and frequency of soccer betting since the outcome of this scandal could hardly be predicted. At a time when Canadian players were working to revive their hopes of getting Olympic titles, the reputation of the country for soccer integrity suffered greatly on Wednesday when the announcement was made. This can lead to further damage caused by spin-off investigations.
The news was followed by the judge’s document published by FIFA, which explains the sweeping punishments at the Olympics. Canada was obliged to pay an unprecedented 6-digit deduction worth $227,000 in the Group A standings. The document also informs about a one-year ban for Bev Priestman as a global soccer head coach and his assistant as a coach for flying a spying drone.
According to Judge Neil Eggleston, the Canadian women’s team has always spied on opponents, and this is mentioned in the document with detailed evidence and witness statements that support the verdict. Eggleston also defined the Canadian team’s actions as unacceptable and inexcusable.
The Canadian Soccer Federation’s submission to the FIFA hearing says that the men’s senior national team has employed a similar scouting tactic.
The Scandal Led to a Canada Stiff Suspension by FIFA
The redacted document provided by FIFA seems to establish the connection between Priestman and Jonh Herdman, the coach of Major League Soccer club Toronto. The latter was in charge of Canada’s women’s team between 2011 and 2018. Later, he worked with the men’s team to perform at the 2022 World Cup, which was the country’s first appearance at such a tournament in 36 years.
According to Herdman, when he was head coach, the team hadn’t been involved in any illegal activities like these ones. However, the fact that Priestman was Herdman’s assistant on the Canadian women’s team and even received the position of head coach in 2020 makes many people doubt.
Priestman apologized to the players and admitted to being absolutely heartbroken by the scandal at the Olympics. The officials of the Canada team said that team members didn’t have any idea about a plan to cheat opponents. The Canadian Olympic Committee commended players for the resilience and courage they displayed during the whole tournament. Priestman didn’t participate in the game against New Zealand, and after the announcement, he was suspended and sent home.
The Olympic rules don’t allow flying drones over competition sites, so the New Zealand team informed security officials about the incident. Lombardi also confessed to having filmed the July 20 and 22 practices and explained his desire to impress the technical staff of the team and play an important role in its success.
According to Priestman’s internal emails, illicit scouting plays an important role between winning and losing, and his team is not the only one to do that.
Making a formal complaint to FIFA, the New Zealand Soccer Federation asked to be awarded 3 points because of the compromised integrity of the upcoming match. However, the team hasn’t received these points since the Canadian team won a game by scoring 2 goals vs. 1 goal from New Zealand. The second game of Canada against France ended with a 2-1 win thanks to the final goal scored in the 12th minute of stoppage time.
According to FIFA’s judge Eggleston, the Canadian soccer delegation’s responsibility for spying is much higher because it is now a reigning champion. This should encourage the officials to set a special ethical tone for the team, while FIFA should learn the details of the currently launched investigation and decide whether further action is necessary.
