There will be no quest for gold for Bev Priestman.
The head coach of the Canadian Olympic women’s soccer team has been removed from her position after it was discovered coaching staff had allegedly used drones to spy on New Zealand’s team.
“Over the past 24 hours,” Canada Soccer CEO and general secretary Kevin Blue began a July 25 statement, “additional information has come to our attention regarding previous drone use against opponents, predating the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”
He continued, “In light of these new revelations, Canada Soccer has made the decision to suspend Women’s National Soccer Team Head Coach, Bev Priestman for the remainder of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and until the completion of our recently announced independent external review.”
The decision to suspend Priestman comes after Joseph Lombardi, a unaccredited analyst, was detained on July 22 by French police on allegations of spying on New Zealand’s training session with a drone, according to statements shared by the Canadian Olympic Committee. The COC also shared that he reported into assistant coach Jasmine Mander, and on July 24 confirmed both individuals were being sent home.
