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New York Post
Canada women’s soccer team gets massive FIFA punishment amid Spygate drone scandal
By Bridget Reilly,
5 hours ago
The Canadian women’s soccer team has suffered a major punishment for starting the 2024 Paris Olympics on a scandalous note.
On Saturday, FIFA hit the team with a six-point deduction in the sport’s Olympic tournament and also banned manager Bev Priestman and two assistants for a year each as punishment for the drone scandal, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jonathan Tannenwald.
In the week leading up to the competition, New Zealand team officials filed a complaint to the International Olympic Committee upon seeing that Canadian team soccer analyst Joseph Lombardi was allegedly flying a drone to record the team’s practice on Monday.
Canada’s head coach Bev Priestman gestures during the Women’s World Cup Group B soccer match between Australia and Canada in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, July 31, 2023. AP
The scandal reportedly wasn’t the first of its kind for Canada and has been in operation for years , and those who didn’t want to be a part of the operation were even pushed out of roles with the men’s and women’s programs.
New Zealand’s head coach Michael Mayne gestures during the women’s Group A soccer match between Canada and New Zealand at Geoffroy-Guichard stadium on July 25, 2024. AP
In addition to the women’s club, the country’s men’s team also tried to use drones to spy on their opponents during the Copa America tournament, The Athletic reported.
The drone scandal brings to mind the “Spygate” scandal from 2007 when the Patriots, then led by head coach Bill Belichick, were fined $500,000 and lost a first-round draft pick for filming Jets’ defensive signal calls from a prohibited area during their Week 1 matchup.
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