A support staff member of the Canadian women's soccer team was detained by French authorities on Monday, accused of using a drone to spy on the New Zealand squad.
The incident occurred in Saint-Etienne, where Canada and New Zealand will meet in the opening match of the Olympic women's soccer tournament on Thursday. "On July 22, a drone was flown over the New Zealand women's football team training session in St Etienne," the New Zealand Olympic Committee said in a statement on Tuesday.
"Team support members immediately reported the incident to police, leading to the drone operator, who has been identified as a support staff member of the wider Canadian Women's football team, to be detained."
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In a statement to TSN, Canada Soccer detailed that "potential next steps" are being reviewed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Paris 2024 and FIFA. The detainee in question has yet to be identified by name, described as a "non-accredited member of the [support team]" by Canada Soccer, which has distanced itself from the staffer's actions.
"The Canadian Olympic Committee stands for fair play and we are shocked and disappointed. We offer our heartfelt apologies to New Zealand Football, to all the players affected and to the New Zealand Olympic Committee," they said in a statement. The COC announced that a subsequent announcement would be issued on July 24.
Accusations of spying via drone are rare but precedented in soccer, with a handful of high-profile incidents occurring in the past decade. Most recently, the Ivorian police quizzed the operator of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that featured above Algeria's practice two days before its opening African Cup of Nations match against Angola in January.
Leicester City staff were outraged in 2023 as a drone flew over the club's training session, recording sensitive tactical information as the pilot refused to leave upon request. And finally, French national team manager Didier Deschamps lodged an espionage complaint after a drone appeared above his practice during the 2014 World Cup.
Notably, these investigations failed to associate any drone pilots with opposing teams, while Canada Soccer admitted a relationship with Monday's alleged spy.
The Football Ferns' complaint proves doubly surprising given Canada's superior talent and history compared to its Oceanic opponent. The Reds are ranked eighth in the FIFA World Rankings, arriving in France as defending Olympic champions after edging Sweden 3-2 on penalties, and have just a single 1987 loss in 15 all-time meetings with New Zealand, who currently rank 28th.
Canada and New Zealand kick off a thrilling opening day of women's soccer, which also sees the United States begin its gold medal quest as heavy favorites against Zambia. The Americans are fresh off an embarrassing showing at the 2023 World Cup, narrowly avoiding a group-stage elimination before bowing out in the Round of 16, but new manager Emma Hayes has largely reimagined the squad and stands as narrow favorites to win gold.
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