Canada lose ‘disruptive’ appeal in ongoing Olympic soccer drone scandal

A drone spying scandal continues to weigh on Canadian soccer after the women’s team lost a final attempt at an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport just hours before a must-win match at the Paris Olympics. The court’s decision marks the latest in a “deeply disappointing” week for sports in Canada and another setback for a team defending its Olympic title.

The scandal, which involved a drone being used to spy on rivals New Zealand, has rocked the sport in Canada and cost the team dearly. Three members of staff, including head coach Bev Priestman, have been banned from organised soccer for a year. Canada Soccer has been fined $313,000. FIFA, the sport’s global governing body, also deducted six points from the team.

On Wednesday, a three-judge panel at the CAS rejected Canada’s appeal of the points deduction. But Clare Rustad, who played for Canada at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, said a last-minute reversal or change by the court would have been “disruptive” for all the teams in the tournament.

“The principles of fair play were breached and there was a violation. There was cheating in an attempt to influence the results. And so a result-based consequence was appropriate,” Rustad told The Guardian. “But the number of points a team has really affects their preparation and how they approach the final group stage games.”

The Canadian Olympic Committee and Canada Soccer previously argued that the decision – which equates to two wins – unfairly punishes the players.

“What people really have a hard time dealing with is the team sanction — and it’s important to call it that. Because it’s not a sanction against the players, it’s a sanction against the team — and the team includes the coaching staff and everyone involved,” Rustad said.

“I am pleased that FIFA acted swiftly and decisively. And I hope they will do so again in the future. Because there are certainly other areas within football, such as intolerance, that could also use such swift disciplinary action.”

Ahead of the court ruling, Priestman made her first public statements about the scandal, saying she was “absolutely devastated” for the players.

“I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart for the impact this situation has had on all of them,” Priestman said in an email through her lawyers. The head coach had previously withdrawn from the opening match against New Zealand but said she was unaware of her staff’s actions.

But emails submitted as evidence to FIFA’s Appeals Committee suggest Priestman asked for guidance on how to deal with a staff member who refused to spy on “moral” grounds, according to a report from the Globe and Mail.

“It’s something that analysts have always done and I know there’s a whole operation going on on the men’s side regarding this issue,” Priestman wrote in a March 20, 2024, email, describing the espionage as a “scouting” issue.

“When she was asked if she knew about the spying, there was no good answer to that question. Either you knew and you were complicit, or you didn’t know and you had lost control of your personnel,” Rustad said. “I think there’s just going to be more information coming out. But this whole thing is just incredibly disappointing.”

Earlier this week, Canadian Sports Minister Carla Qualtrough also hinted at a “very disturbing” pattern of behaviour at Canada Soccer, including reports the men’s team used drones to spy on opponents in previous tournaments. “We have to and we will get to the bottom of this,” Qualtrough said.

Sport Canada is also withholding funding from Priestman and her two suspended assistants, Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander.

Canada, looking to defend its 2020 gold medal, won its opening match against New Zealand and secured a nail-biting victory over France. The team will play Colombia on Wednesday night in a must-win match if they hope to survive the group stage.

In the absence of a head coach, Rustad says the players have shown “incredible” leadership on the field.

“For those of us watching, there was a growing sense of nausea as the tournament went on,” she said. “The players are focused on getting the results they need. But for everyone involved, this week really felt like a month.”