MARSEILLE, France — The Olympics can be a whirlwind, with one event following immediately after the next. But the swift investigation — and severe punishment — of Canada's women's soccer team for spying on an opponent's closed-door practice session remains a dominant, if complex, story.
Here you will find everything you need to know about the situation.
What is the basic timeline of this?
On Monday, July 22, the New Zealand women's soccer team informed French police that a drone had been flying over their practice sessions in Saint-Étienne. French authorities were able to trace the drone to Joseph Lombardi, a staff member of Canada Soccer. Canada and New Zealand were scheduled to play each other on Thursday.
On Wednesday, July 24, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) said it had sent home Lombardi and the assistant coach to whom she reported, Jasmine Mander. Head coach Beverly Priestman issued a statement saying that while she had not “given direction” to the staff members operating the drone, she was “voluntarily” stepping down from coaching at the game and apologizing to New Zealand for behaviour she said “does not represent the values our team stands for.” The Canadian Soccer Federation announced an investigation into the incident. FIFA announced it was opening disciplinary hearings.
On Thursday, July 25, Canada defeated New Zealand 2-1. Assistant coach Andy Spence led the team.
On Friday, July 26, Canadian Soccer Federation CEO David Blue told reporters that based on preliminary conversations, the federation believed this was not an isolated incident, but rather the latest example of a “systemic culture.” He also said that Priestman would not be coaching at all during the Paris Olympics.
On Saturday, July 27, FIFA announced that Priestman and the two staff members “were found responsible for offensive conduct and violation of the principles of fair play.” All three were suspended from working in football for one year and the Canadian team was penalized six points at these Olympic Games, making it very difficult for them to qualify for the knockout rounds.
What do we know about the “systemic” culture that Canada Soccer refers to?
The scope and duration of this type of behaviour in Canada is at the heart of what the federation is trying to uncover, Blue said, but news reports indicate it is a widespread pattern.
ESPN reported that U.S. Soccer has been aware that Canada’s men’s and women’s teams have attempted to hold practices behind closed doors for years. TSN, among other outlets, has reported on numerous previous incidents involving a variety of opponents, including instances of spying at CONCACAF Nations League matches, World Cup qualifiers, last summer’s Copa America tournament and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, when Canada’s women’s team won the gold medal.
David Shoemaker, COC executive director, said: “It makes me sick, it makes me sick to my stomach to think that there could be anything that would call into question… one of my favorite Olympic moments in history.”
What do Canadian players say?
Blue, the Canadian Soccer Federation executive, has been steadfast in her stance that no Canadian player ever saw any footage obtained in France. Vanessa Gilles, a defender for the team, told reporters after the game against New Zealand that “there was a lot of emotion, frustration and humiliation because as athletes, it didn’t reflect our values and what we want to represent as athletes at the Olympics.” She added: “We’re not cheaters.”
Asked what she's heard about how Canadians are reacting back home, forward Adriana Leon told reporters she's staying off social media because “I don't want to think about it.”
Team captain Jessie Fleming told reporters: “This tournament is moving so fast that we don't have time to think too much about our feelings.”
What about former players?
Several former players have spoken out on social media or elsewhere to defend their achievements as legitimate. Christine Sinclair, widely regarded as the greatest player in Canadian soccer history, referenced the Tokyo gold medal in a statement on Instagram, writing: “It is unfortunate that our National Team players have had to endure reprehensible actions by some of their employees while attempting to defend our gold medal. Actions over which the players have no control.”
Sinclair added that “having been a national team player for 23 years, we were never shown or discussed drone footage in any team or individual meetings I was present at.”
Stephanie Labbé, a former goalkeeper who was part of the 2021 gold medal-winning team, wrote on social media that her success in saving penalties in Tokyo was due to studying her opponents intensively and making “educated guesses” during two crucial shootouts. “Great goalkeeping should not be confused with cheating,” she wrote.
If this is a pattern, does that mean other coaches could be involved?
Yes. Canada's men's national team “attempted to use a drone” during this year's Copa America, Blue said, though he added that new coach Jesse Marsch only found out about it afterwards and “reported it as a practice to his staff.” That incident is, however, part of a broader investigation by the Canadian Soccer Federation.
More importantly, John Herdman, who coached Canada’s women’s national team from 2011 to 2018 and the men’s national team from 2018 to 2023, was in a position of authority in many of the alleged spying cases. (The ties between Herdman and Priestman also run deep: Herdman was Priestman’s youth futsal coach in England, where they were both born, and Priestman went on to coach Canada’s under-17 and under-20 national teams when Herdman was the senior national team coach.)
Herdman, who now coaches Toronto FC, said he would cooperate with any investigation, adding in a statement that “I am completely confident that during my time as a head coach at an Olympic Games or World Cup we have never been involved in any of those activities.”
It is worth noting, however, that a vast majority of the alleged spying cases took place during matches that were neither Olympic nor World Cup.
Could there be other sanctions for Canada or its personnel?
Further sanctions against Canada are unlikely at the Paris Games, but FIFA could consider further discipline in the future if an investigation reveals new evidence.
It also seems unlikely, but not impossible, that previous medals, including the gold won by the women's team in Tokyo in 2021, are at risk. However, the International Olympic Committee did not respond to ESPN's request for comment on the matter.
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Who are Lombardi and Mander, the two employees sent home?
Lombardi, 43, is a technical coach and analyst who served on Canada's staff at six FIFA youth tournaments from 2012-2022. She was also part of the staff for the 2023 Women's World Cup.
Mander, 29, is an assistant coach who was on Priestman's staff at the 2021 Olympics and 2023 Women's World Cup.
Are there any pending criminal charges related to the incident?
Drone use and potential invasions of privacy are serious issues in France, and law enforcement immediately became involved in the situation. Without identifying the person, a French court announced on July 24 that a 43-year-old Canadian had been sentenced to eight months suspended prison for filming two closed-door training sessions in New Zealand using an aerial device.
What happens next?
On Sunday night, Canada will play its second group game against France. With the six-point penalty applied, it enters the match with a minus-3 point lead. It still has a slim hope of making it to the knockout rounds because two of the third-place finishers in the three-group, 12-team tournament will qualify for the quarterfinals.
It is also possible that Canada could successfully appeal its point penalty and have it reduced. The Court of Arbitration for Sport, which has jurisdiction, has an ad hoc tribunal at each Olympics to hear urgent cases like this.
Priestman, Mander and Lombardi could appeal the suspensions imposed by FIFA. However, if no change is made, all three will be banned from participating “in any football-related activity for a period of one year.”
