A sports arbitration court on Wednesday dismissed the Canadian women’s soccer team’s appeal against the six-point penalty issued to the team after staff were caught spying on opponents. Head coach Bev Priestman, assistant coach Jasmine Mander and Canada Soccer analyst Joseph Lombardi were sent home by the International Olympic Committee following police reports from Team New Zealand that Team Canada was spying on their training sessions via drone in St. Etienne, FR ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics. Canada Soccer and the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) filed the appeal against FIFA’s six-point deduction Monday, and the panel of three arbitrators privately heard the case Tuesday. On Wednesday in announcing the decision, the panel said due to the urgency of the matter, the grounds for their decision would be published at a later date. The Canadian women’s team faces Columbia later today, in a match that is critical to reaching the elimination stage of the competition. Canada has won both games so far, against New Zealand and France, and has clocked six points. However, with the deduction upheld, Canada stands at zero points. "While disappointed in the outcome of our appeal, we commend the players for their incredible resilience and grit over the course of this tournament, and look forward to cheering them on in today’s match against Colombia," wrote Canada Soccer and the COC in a statement, per TSN. In further punishment for the drone spying scandal, Canada Soccer was fined more than CA$300,000. Priestman, Mander and Lombardi are suspended for one year and external reviews will be conducted during that time.
A sports arbitration court on Wednesday dismissed the Canadian women’s soccer team’s appeal against the six-point penalty issued to the team after staff were caught spying on opponents. Head coach Bev Priestman, assistant coach Jasmine Mander and Canada Soccer analyst Joseph Lombardi were sent home by the International Olympic Committee following police reports from Team New Zealand that Team Canada was spying on their training sessions via drone in St. Etienne, FR ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics. Canada Soccer and the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) filed the appeal against FIFA’s six-point deduction Monday, and the panel of three arbitrators privately heard the case Tuesday. On Wednesday in announcing the decision, the panel said due to the urgency of the matter, the grounds for their decision would be published at a later date. The Canadian women’s team faces Columbia later today, in a match that is critical to reaching the elimination stage of the competition. Canada has won both games so far, against New Zealand and France, and has clocked six points. However, with the deduction upheld, Canada stands at zero points. "While disappointed in the outcome of our appeal, we commend the players for their incredible resilience and grit over the course of this tournament, and look forward to cheering them on in today’s match against Colombia," wrote Canada Soccer and the COC in a statement, per TSN. In further punishment for the drone spying scandal, Canada Soccer was fined more than CA$300,000. Priestman, Mander and Lombardi are suspended for one year and external reviews will be conducted during that time.
