Olympic Games 2024 in Paris: FIFA deducts six points from Canada over drone incident | News about the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris

The Canadian women’s soccer team, which won gold at Tokyo 2020, was stripped of six points by FIFA, while coach Bev Priestman was banned from all soccer for a year.

FIFA deducted six points from Canada for the women’s soccer tournament at the Paris Olympic Games and banned three coaches for one year each because of a drone spying scandal.

Among the spectacular penalties announced late Saturday night was a fine of 200,000 Swiss francs ($226,000) for the Canadian Soccer Association in a case that escalated during the Summer Olympics.

Two assistant coaches were caught using drones to spy on opponents New Zealand during training ahead of their opening match on Wednesday.

Head coach Bev Priestman, who led Canada to the 2021 Olympic title in Tokyo, was already suspended by the national football association and subsequently banned from the Olympic tournament. Now she has been banned from all football by FIFA for a year.

FIFA accelerated its own disciplinary proceedings by instructing its appeal judges to handle the case.

The judges found that Priestman and her two assistants were “each responsible for offensive conduct and violation of the principles of fair play.”

The Canadian Federation was blamed for failing to ensure that its staff complied with tournament rules.

The coaches and the Canadian Federation can appeal their sanctions before the Special Olympics Tribunal of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Paris. This tribunal is set up for urgent hearings and rulings at the Olympic Games.

Priestman, 38, is from England and was hired as Canada’s coach in 2020. Her contract runs until the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

Priestman resigned from the defending champions’ Olympic opening match against New Zealand on Wednesday after the scandal became known. Canadian authorities suspect that the espionage was systematic and took place over a period of years.

Their two staff members were sent home for allegedly spying on New Zealand during training with a drone. Canada won the game 2-1 under interim coach Andy Spence.

The point deduction, if confirmed by the CAS judges, does not mean Canada is out of the tournament. It could mean the team must win all three games in Group A and hope to advance with three points, probably in second place.

Canada will play group leaders France in Saint-Etienne on Sunday and then face Colombia in Nice on Thursday.