As the Paris Olympics 2024 draws nearer, controversy has already emerged surrounding the Canadian Women’s Soccer Team. Reports have surfaced alleging that members of the team engaged in surveillance of their upcoming opponents, New Zealand. This information was confirmed by the defending gold medalists, who issued an apology for their actions. The incident has prompted significant backlash from various quarters, with calls being made for Canada’s disqualification from the tournament.

The allegations claim that staff associated with Canada’s women’s soccer team utilized drones to observe New Zealand’s training sessions. In response to these accusations, Joseph Lombardi, a non-accredited analyst for Canada, was arrested after pleading guilty to involvement in this breach. Alongside him, his supervisor Jasmine Mandor has also been relieved of her duties while head coach Bev Priestman stepped down from her position for the New Zealand match.

In light of these developments, David Shoemaker, CEO of the Canada Olympic Committee (COC), confirmed that New Zealand has lodged an official complaint with FIFA and requested that no points be awarded to The Canucks should they win against the Paris Olympics opening match. However, Shoemaker noted that he is not aware of any formal requests or discussions regarding Canada’s immediate disqualification from participation in the Olympics.

As it stands presently, there remains a strong possibility that fans will witness the scheduled match between Canada and New Zealand proceed as planned. Regarding the Football Ferns’ complaint about the allocation of points, further updates are anticipated. In the interim, let us examine comments made by Bev Priestman concerning this controversy.

Canada boss’ message to fans ahead of Paris Olympics

Coach Priestman has chosen to withdraw from participation in the upcoming match against New Zealand as a demonstration of accountability for this incident. In her statement, she expressed, “On behalf of our entire team, I first and foremost want to apologize to the players and staff at New Zealand Football and to the players on Team Canada.” She emphasized her leadership role by adding, “I am ultimately responsible for the conduct of our program.”

When addressing her decision to abstain from the match with New Zealand, Priestman stated, “In the spirit of accountability, I do this with the interests of both.” This is no doubt a really messy situation. As for the FIFA disciplinary committee, they are still investigating what actions to take. Furthermore, they have revealed that a decision will be made in the coming few days.

For the time being all of us can only wait and watch. What are your thoughts on this situation? Let us know in the comments.