WNBA Legend Demands Vanessa Gilles & Canada Soccer Be Banned From Paris Olympics, Deeming 6-Point Deduction As Insufficient

Major thanks to ace defender Vanessa Gilles, the Canada WNT thrived in Group A. Now they’re an hour away from the quarter-final game against Germany. But we still doubt if Gilles and Canada’s heroic run in Paris has done enough to outlive the chaos and infamy the team garnered over the drone gate. At least, WNBA legend Lisa Leslie‘s harsh remarks against the Canada team’s spying fiasco show that it is hard for the side to avoid being accused of ‘cheaters.’

Lisa Leslie and USWNT legend Kelley O’Hara host the ‘The Gold Standard’ podcast on Just Women’s Sports, to comment on women’s sports at the Olympics. Canada’s drone usage and coach Beverley Priestman’s subsequent Olympic ban became the talking point in a recent The Gold Standard episode. “Canada has been cheating guys. They’ve been flying drones, recording people’s practice,” said Lisa Leslie. O’Hara asked her co-host if she wanted the Canadian players to quit the Olympics over the drone debacle. “The whole team… If you’re cheating and you get caught cheating, you have to pack it up,” said Leslie.

Leslie continued and brought up Russia’s case to highlight why the Canada WNT should face an Olympic ban. “I feel like they should not be allowed to play. I don’t know Russia got… they’re not even in the Olympics for cheating.”

Not willing to ban the entire Canada WNT, the Olympic Committee banned their coach Beverley Priestman, and two of her assistants. The move came after a drone was spotted at New Zealand’s training facility before their group game against Canada. Besides the ban on the coach, the IOC also stripped six points from the Canucks. Yet, Vanessa Gilles and Co. played the tough game and booked a birth in the Olympic quarter-finals. She also dismissed the cheating allegations against her team.

Vanessa Gilles gave a reality check to critics while twice redeeming Canada

Canada Soccer is indeed under scrutiny for drone use. Notably, its front office even confirmed that its men’s and women’s teams using drones previously. But Canada’s games at the Olympic tournament don’t seem to be that of a team that has spied on rivals to gain an advantage. The Canucks won all three group games with a mere single-goal margin. Its second group game against France was one for the books and it was during that game Vanessa Gilles emerged as Canada’s redeemer.

When it looked like the Canucks were succumbing to a 1-1 draw against France, Gilles activated clutch mode and found the net in the 94th minute to oust the hosts. “We’re not cheaters. We’re damn good players. We’re a damn good team,” said Gilles after the game. Thereafter, the defender again stood up big to defend Canada’s crest. It was Gilles’ one goal that powered Canada’s 1-0 win against Colombia, which also earned them a berth for tonight’s quarter-finals.

Since Canada is the only Group A team to qualify without a single loss, it can surely test and even go past Germany. They are in fact even favorites to defend their Olympic gold. But if that were to be the case, the likes of Leslie and a few other critics will again question Canada’s legitimacy to be in the Paris games.