Drone Scandal Costs Canada's Olympic Team 6 Points, Coaches

FIFA stripped Canada of six points in the Paris Olympics women's soccer tournament and suspended three coaches for one year each on Saturday in response to a drone-spying scandal. The stunning punishments include a $226,000 fine for the Canadian soccer federation in a case that has spiraled at the Summer Games, the AP reports. Two assistant coaches were caught using drones to spy on opponent New Zealand's practices before their opening game last Wednesday. Head coach Bev Priestman, who led Canada to the Olympic title in Tokyo in 2021, already was suspended by the national soccer federation, then removed from the Olympic tournament.

Priestman and assistant coaches Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander are now barred from all soccer for one year. FIFA judges said Priestman and her two assistants "were each found responsible for offensive behavior and violation of the principles of fair play." The case is likely heading for the Court of Arbitration for Sport's special Olympic court in Paris. That tribunal is set up for urgent hearings and verdicts at the Olympics, such as challenges to sanctions. The points deduction, if upheld, does not eliminate Canada from the tournament but dramatically damages the team's chances of repeating, per the Athletic. It could mean Canada must win all three games in Group A and hope to advance with three points to the quarterfinals that start next Saturday, even as the third-place team in the standings.

Docking a team so many points is almost unprecedented in the middle of an international tournament, per the AP. The case is a further embarrassment for the Canadian federation, which is FIFA's close partner in helping organize the biggest-ever men's World Cup in 2026 across North America. There is no suggestion that the players were involved in the spying. The 38-year-old Priestman is from England and was hired in 2020 to coach the Canada team. She is under contract through the 2027 Women's World Cup. The Canadian federation has not yet commented on Saturday's ruling. Canada plays group leader France on Sunday in Saint-Etienne, then faces Colombia on Thursday in Nice.

(More 2024 Paris Olympics stories.)