Team Canada soccer drone: 2 sent home ahead of Olympics

An analyst and an assistant coach with Canada Soccer are being removed from the Canadian Olympic Team and “sent home immediately” from the prelude to this year’s Paris games, according to the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC).

In a statement released Wednesday, the COC announced Joseph Lombardi, whom they called “an unaccredited analyst with Soccer Canada,” and assistant coach Jasmine Mander, have been “removed from the Canadian Olympic Team and will be sent home immediately.”

The COC also said they’re in contact with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and FIFA, and have been transparent and cooperative throughout the process, adding that further action may be taken as a review of the incident continues.

On Tuesday, the COC released a brief statement acknowledging that a “non-accredited member of the Canada Soccer support team” had been detained by local authorities in Saint-Étienne, a small city 400 kilometres south of Paris, near Lyon, France.

“The staff member is believed to have been using a drone to record the New Zealand women’s football team during practice,” the earlier statement reads, acknowledging that the competing team lodged a complaint two days earlier, on July 22.

“The Canadian Olympic Committee stands for fair-play and we are shocked and disappointed,” the COC said.

The COC statements echoed a July 23 release from the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) announcing the formal complaint to the IOC’s integrity unit.

“The NZOC and New Zealand Football are committed to upholding the integrity and fairness of the Olympic Games and are deeply shocked and disappointed by this incident, which occurred just three days before the sides are due to face each other in their opening game of Paris 2024,” the statement reads. 

Head coach sidelined

As part of the announced measures to address the incident, the Canadian team’s head coach will remove herself from an upcoming match against New Zealand on Thursday morning, Paris time.

“On behalf of our entire team, I first and foremost want to apologize to the players and staff at New Zealand Football and to the players on Team Canada. This does not represent the values that our team stands for,” said Bev Priestman, head coach of Canada Soccer’s women’s national team, in a statement.

“I am ultimately responsible for conduct in our program. Accordingly, to emphasize our team’s commitment to integrity, I have decided to voluntarily withdraw from coaching the match on Thursday. In the spirit of accountability, I do this with the interests of both teams in mind and to ensure everyone feels that the sportsmanship of this game is upheld.”

In addition, Canada Soccer staff will undergo mandatory ethics training, the COC said.

“The actions of those involved do not reflect Canada’s values or the values of sport,” wrote Carla Qualtrough, Canada’s minister of sport and physical activity, in a post to X Wednesday.

“I support the sanctions being imposed by the Canadian Olympic Committee, their apologies to New Zealand, and the decision of Head Coach Bev Priestman … These decisive actions will help ensure that individuals are held accountable and preserve the integrity of the game and fair play for all athletes.”

Familiar circumstances

This week’s incident isn’t the first time suspicions of surveillance have shadowed a Canadian match.

In 2021, Honduras’ men’s soccer team was visiting Toronto for the two countries’ 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier match. Prior to the game, the visiting team held a training session that stopped abruptly after a drone was spotted hovering over the pitch, according to reports from The Associated Press citing Honduran media.

“I’d imagine there’s probably a lot of people in Canada that fly drones, I’m sure … And when a big team like Honduras turn up I’m sure people are probably interested in what they’re doing when they come into our country.” Canada’s then-coach John Herdman was quoted to say in a report published the day before the match.

“So I know for sure we won’t be heading into people’s countries too early because with drones these days, people can obviously capture footage. You’ve got to be really careful.”

The 2021 men’s qualifier ended in a 1-1 draw, and Canada went on to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 36 years. The team was later eliminated in the group stages of the tournament, falling to Morocco, Croatia and Belgium. 

Canada and New Zealand’s women’s soccer teams will face off Thursday at 11 a.m. Central European Time (5 a.m. EDT), their opening tournament match for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Potential punishment

With the Olympics starting this week, punishment for Canada Soccer could be announced in the coming days. When it comes to using drones as a form of cheating, Mount Allison University women’s soccer coach Derek O’Keeffe says this could be a learning experience.

“I think it’s important that as coaches, staff, directors, I think it’s important you educate your staff in terms of the use of drones, and obviously the use of fair sports and play,” O’Keeffe said. “We’re educating our coaches about all those things regarding fair play, sportsmanship and just being honest.”

Soccer journalist John Molinaro says expulsion from the tournament wouldn’t fit the crime.

“I think kicking Canada out of the tournament would be an extreme measure and I can’t seem to see it happening,” Molinaro said, adding that Priestman could be suspended or there might be financial penalties levelled against Soccer Canada.

“I don’t think we’ve heard or seen the last of this.”

Former professional soccer player and longtime Nova Scotia coach Costa Elles says spying on a practice can clearly give a team an advantage.

“I think you’ll be able to handle the pressure and hopefully they’ll get through it but it doesn’t make them feel good walking on a pitch and get ready to compete.”

With files from CTV National News Journalist Paul Hollingsworth