Independent investigation’s report sent to Canada SoccerGoverning body promises ‘decisive action’ inside a week
The drone spying scandal that erupted during Canada’s women’s football team’s 2024 Paris Olympics campaign was a symptom of a “past pattern of an unacceptable culture”, Canada Soccer has said after an independent review.
The Canadian women’s camp made global headlines after a drone was allegedly used to spy on a training session of one of their opponents, New Zealand. The head coach, Bev Priestman, was subsequently banned by Fifa for a year, while analyst Joseph Lombardi and the assistant coach Jasmine Mander were also banned following the allegations, and Priestman was removed from her role.
On Friday, the sport’s governing body in Canada, Canada Soccer, said it had received the report of an independent reviewer “hired by the organisation’s board of directors to investigate the illegal use of drones at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games”, and the organisation’s senior officials provided their initial reactions while promising a more extensive response in the coming days.
Kevin Blue, the chief executive and general secretary of Canada Soccer, said: “Our initial review of the conclusions of the independent investigator reveals that the drone incident in Paris was a symptom of a past pattern of an unacceptable culture and insufficient oversight within the national teams.
“While we are being thoughtful about how best to address the findings, we also want to move decisively. To that end, we will release key conclusions and next steps within a week.”
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