Canada women’s soccer team files appeal, fires back at critics over Olympics drone-spying scandal

The Canadian women’s soccer team has had enough.

The organization flew into trouble last week after using a drone to document a closed-door New Zealand practice that resulted in a six-point deduction at the 2024 Olympics.

Canada Soccer and the Canadian Olympic Committee filed an appeal of that ruling on Monday, with a decision possibly coming by Wednesday.

Canadian players tried to let the world know Sunday that they had no part in what went down.

Defender Vanessa Gilles fired back at critics after helping her squad secure a 2-1 win over France by tucking away a goal 12 minutes into the 13-minute stoppage time.

“It’s been 72 hours where we have no control over anything. We’re not part of any of this, and we’re getting sanctioned as if we just got caught doping. We did nothing. We’re just so tired of defending ourselves over something we have no control over,” Giles said, per ESPN .

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“We got no advantage. We go out there, we play our hearts out, we work for this all year round, day in and day out. So it’s just the uncontrollables that are the biggest anger and biggest frustration.”

The win came at a crucial time for Canada, as a day prior, the team found out that FIFA had knocked them with a six-point deduction in the group stage.

The decision severely hindered the Canadians’ chances of surviving.

When the players heard the news, ESPN reported that Gilles bashed her hand into a wall – nearly breaking it – to express her frustration.

“I never felt so many emotions going into a game, even the gold medal final,” Giles said in a post-match interview.

But she wasn’t the only one worked up.

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Veteran Jessie Fleming, who netted the equalizer against France in the 58th minute, also chimed in.

“It feels like us against the world right now,” Fleming said.

The scandal’s aftermath caused Joseph Lombardi – an analyst with the Canadian team – to be arrested on a charge of “maintaining an unmanned aircraft over a prohibited area,” per the Toronto Star.

Moreover, Jasmine Mander, the assistant coach, was immediately sent home.

FIFA also hit head coach Bev Priestman with a one-year suspension, along with the two others.

On Sunday, Priestman used her lawyer to send across the message that she was “absolutely heartbroken for the players.”

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She added a sprinkle of motivation, telling her players to “go out today and show the world what you’re made of.”

“I wish I could say more,” Priestman wrote, per ESPN. “But I will refrain at this time, given the appeals process and the ongoing investigation.”

As kind as Priestman tried to convey herself to be, goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan felt uneasy about accepting what was said and written.

“Right now, it’s really tough. It’s a really tough thing to do,” Sheridan said.

“Ultimately, she’s a human being, and people make mistakes. I think later down the road we’ll be in a place where we can accept that. But right now, we’re staying in our bubble. We’re not allowing anything in. I think it’s really important. It’s proving to work so far. We’re going to ride it as long as we can, and we’re going to prove some people wrong.”

In anticipation of their joust against France, the Canadians channeled in their emotions. ESPN reported that players had tears falling from their faces alongside having a hard time sleeping and eating.

“There’s so much negativity directed toward us, and so many things that are just mean and messed up,” Sheridan said.

“We feel like we have nothing to do with what all these things that are gone on. We’re under attack right now. We’re the dartboard. We unfortunately had to take that. For us to take that. In order for us to come together and really shut the world out was a really hard decision. You have to trust that everyone is doing it, and we did.”

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