Drone Gate Update: Canada gets a six-point deduction during the Paris 2024 Olympics. They won their first match against New Zealand and earned three points. After the deduction, they have -3 points and move to the bottom of Group A. But that is not all. Find out what FIFA decided on Bev Priestman and the other staff members.
- Bev Priestman suspended for a year from all football related activities. Her full statement was released just before the match against France.
Summary Drone Gate CANWNT
For anyone who missed it: New Zealand caught Canada spying on them with a drone during their training before the Paris 2024 Olympics group stage match. A complaint was filed, and this opened Pandora’s Box. Apparently, Canada has been spying on their opponents for years. Not only the women’s team but also the men’s. Many sources told TSN about how it was part of their job to spy, and some were even forced to do so. In the job advertisement, CANWNT had on their website since early 2024, one of the requirements was “able to fly a drone”. Well, now we know why.
Spying in sports is cheating, but Canada is probably not the only one doing it. The Canadian Olympic Committee decided to fire the employees who were directly connected to this drone incident and Bev Priestman stepped away from the the match against New Zealand. However, this was not enough when it came to light that Team Canada had been spying for years. Priestman was removed from the squad.
CANWNT continued with the assistant coach
Canada managed to come back after conceding the 0-1 against New Zealand. The team won their first match and hoped Drone Gate was behind them for now. The Canadian Olympic Committee continued their investigation with a hired third-party. The FIFA announced they would do the same. Their decision was made public.
FIFA Committee decides on point deduction
Letting Canada get away with just a warning was not enough for FIFA. New Zealand was at a significant disadvantage and cheating is usually punished with disqualification. Disqualifying 22 Canadian players who had nothing to do with the cheating did not seem fair to FIFA.
The six-point deduction keeps the team in the tournament, but they will have to win all their matches to advance to the knockouts. The FIFA Committee also decided on the faith of Bev Priestman, Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander. Each of them is suspended for a year from taking part in any football-related activity. They were all three found responsible for the offensive behavior and violation of the principles of fair play.
Leave a Reply