1 day Ago By Olivier Neven
An independent investigation into the Canada Football Olympic drone spying scandal has revealed an "unacceptable culture" that encouraged the "practice of conducting surreptitious surveillance of opponents" that predated the 2024 Paris Games. "The findings of the independent investigator reveal that the incident itself was a symptom of a difficult and unacceptable past culture within the national teams. Quite simply, while players on the national teams performed admirably, cultural standards and management of the programs dating back several years fell short of expectations," Canada Soccer chief executive officer and general secretary Kevin Blue said in statement shared on social media.
Canada Soccer announced that head coach Bev Priestman, along with assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joey Lombardi will be relieved from their positions following the conclusion of their one-year ban, imposed by FIFA in the summer. "The three individuals currently suspended by FIFA will not be returning. The search for a new head coach for the women’s national team will commence shortly," a statement by Canada Soccer reads.
Details about the alleged infractions, however, were not made public, as much of the report, conducted by Sonia Regenbogen from the law firm of Mathews, Dinsdale & Clark, was redacted. Canada Soccer also announced that it will take disciplinary action, but that the results of those steps will remain private and confidential. The full investigation remains incomplete without the cooperation of former women's and men's national team head coach, and current Toronto FC head coach, John Herdman, who has yet to meet with investigators, despite publicly admitting to being open to cooperating with the investigation.
Herdman began coaching the women's team in 2011, before switching over to the men's side. Priestman, who served as an assistant under Herdman with the women's team, took over following the change, leading them to a gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games. Herdman did assert his innocence in July, claiming he had never partaken in spying activities during his team in charge of the national teams.
“I can again clarify that at a FIFA World Cup, pinnacle event, Olympic Games, at a Youth World Cup, those activities have not been undertaken,” he said in July. “And I’ve got nothing else to say on that matter.” 'John Herdman put his staff under a lot of pressure' A report by Radio-Canada's Romain Schoué has revealed a toxic culture surrounding the coaching staff during Herdman's time in charge of the men's national team.
"No' wasn't an option. John Herdman put his staff under a lot of pressure. If his assistants refused they were put aside.
You could be blacklisted which would change your entire career," sources told Schoué. Another source revealed to Schoué that drones were "institutionalized" in the program by Herdman. After joining the men's national team in 2018, Herdman would routinely use drones to spy on opponents for upcoming fixtures, including the likes of Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Honduras, according to the Radio-Canada report.
Herdman is understood to be the one who passed on the practice to Priestman, and it became a routine part of her preparation for matches. Multiple sources confirmed to Schoué that Canada Soccer executives were aware of the drone use. Paris Olympic Games Drone Scandal The football world was rocked during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games when the Canadian women's national team was caught using a drone to spy on New Zealand's training session ahead of their opening game of the tournament.
The Canadian Olympic Committee sent Priestman and assistant Mander home before the start of the tournament after it was determined the origins of the spying scandal linked back to the coaching staff. The team was also issued a six-point deduction, making qualification beyond the group stage nearly impossible. Despite the penalty, Canada was able to win all three of their group-stage games, advancing to the quarterfinals in improbable fashion.
The dream would be cut short, however, as Canada fell to Germany in penalty kicks in the quarters. Alphonso Davies is set to become a free agent following this season, and is attracting interest from the game's biggest clubs..
