Spy incident at the Olympics in Canada: Bev Priesman does not train against New Zealand

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PARIS – The Canadian Olympic Committee announced Wednesday the exclusion of two team members linked to allegations that they twice used a drone to spy on rival New Zealand during training in Saint-Etienne. Joseph Lombardi, whom the COC describes as an uncredited analyst who works for Canada Soccer, and assistant coach Jasmine Mander were removed from the team and sent home. Coach Bev Priestman has also withdrawn from participation in Thursday’s upcoming match against New Zealand.

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It was first revealed on Tuesday that a “non-accredited member” of Canada Soccer’s support team was arrested by French police on July 22 for allegedly using a drone to film the New Zealand women’s team’s training. Now the COC announced on Wednesday that the committee had learned of a second drone incident at an earlier training session on July 19.

“On behalf of our entire team, I would first like to apologize to the players and staff of New Zealand Football and the players of Team Canada. This is not consistent with the values ​​our team stands for,” Priestman said in a statement. “I am ultimately responsible for the conduct within our program and as such, to underscore our team’s commitment to integrity, I have decided to voluntarily step down from refereeing Thursday’s game. In the spirit of accountability, I do so in the best interests of both teams and to ensure everyone feels the sportsmanship of this game is upheld.”

According to the Canadian Olympic Committee, the incident came to light after the New Zealand Football Association filed a complaint on Monday. In a statement, the COC apologized for the incident and promised to review the further course of action.

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“The Canadian Olympic Committee stands for fair play and we are shocked and disappointed,” the COC said in a statement. “We would like to sincerely apologize to New Zealand Football, the players involved and the New Zealand Olympic Committee.”

“We are reviewing the next steps with the IOC, Paris 2024, Canada Soccer and FIFA.”

It is not yet known if there will be a penalty for the alleged incident, but the last thing the Canadians needed at this point was a distraction. The reigning Olympic champions play New Zealand on Thursday while also looking to return to the form that brought them triumph in Tokyo three years ago.

According to a statement from the New Zealand Olympic Committee, the drone was spotted flying over the team’s training session in Saint-Etienne and team support members immediately reported the incident to police, after which the drone pilot was arrested by police.

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That individual was a member of the Canadian women’s team. The NZOC subsequently lodged an official complaint about the incident with the IOC’s Integrity Unit and asked Canada to conduct a full investigation.

“The NZOC and the New Zealand Football Association are committed to the integrity and fairness of the Olympic Games and are deeply shocked and disappointed by this incident, which occurred just three days before the two teams’ opening match at Paris 2024,” the NZOC said in a statement. “At this time, the NZOC’s main priority is to support the New Zealand women’s footballers and the entire team as they launch their campaign.”

France had previously announced temporary restrictions on the use of drones over the capital for the duration of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. In general, drone operators are not allowed to fly drones over Paris, except for missions directly related to the Games.

According to French newspaper Le Monde, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said on Tuesday that national security forces guarding Olympic venues intercept an average of six drones a day. Some of them are piloted by “individuals, possibly tourists, who want to take photos,” and according to a member of Attal’s team, the communications chief of the Brazilian delegation was arrested for piloting a drone.

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This week’s incident is not the first time a Canadian soccer team has been accused of drone fraud before an international match. In 2021, Honduras halted a training session in Toronto before a World Cup qualifier against the Canadian men’s team after a drone was spotted over the field. Although nothing came of the incident, which was reported by Honduran media, the two teams played out a 1-1 draw at BMO Field in Toronto.

Although they have slipped to 8th place in the FIFA world rankings and are therefore not considered favorites for the gold medal here, the Canadian women have built up a large fan base in their home country.

The most impressive was their triumph in Tokyo three years ago, when they beat Sweden on penalties to take gold. With bronze medals in London 2012 and Rio 2016, Canada’s three medals are the third most in Olympic soccer behind the United States with six and Germany with four. The Canadian team made its Olympic debut in the sport in 2008, but has fielded a team at every Games since that introduction.

With files from Rob Longley, Postmedia Olympic Team

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