Canada Soccer head coach suspended from Olympics in drone spying scandal

Canadian Olympic Committee main executive serviceman David Shoemaker says nan caput coach of nan nationalist women’s shot squad was apt alert drones were utilized to spy connected an opposing country’s practices successful France.

Shoemaker made nan comments hours aft Bev Priestman was suspended from nan Olympic Games early Friday morning.

“One of nan cardinal pieces of accusation was nan conclusion from Canada Soccer that she needed to beryllium suspended, based connected their accumulation of facts,” Shoemaker said astatine a news convention astatine Canada Olympic House.

“I’ve seen immoderate of them, immoderate of nan accusation they have, and we’ve gathered immoderate further accusation ourselves that made maine reason that she was highly apt to person been alert of nan incident present successful St-Etienne.”

Two unit members were kicked disconnected nan shot squad Wednesday pursuing reports a drone was utilized to spy connected New Zealand practices Monday and past Friday.

Priestman voluntarily removed herself from Canada’s 2-1 triumph complete New Zealand successful St-Etienne to unfastened nan Olympic tourney Thursday.

She’d said nan erstwhile time she didn’t nonstop individuals to spy connected New Zealand and was “highly disappointed” to study of it.

Shoemaker said Wednesday he was persuaded that Priestman had “no involvement, nary knowledge of nan incident,” but his sentiment later changed.

The determination to footwear Priestman retired of nan Games was made astatine nan proposal of Canada Soccer’s CEO Kevin Blue, who stated successful a merchandise Friday that much accusation had precocious travel to ray astir erstwhile incidents of drone spying predating nan Olympic Games successful Paris. Blue has pledged an independent reappraisal of nan situation.

“We imposed nan eventual punishment nan Canadian Olympic Committee tin impose, base successful mind that we oversee shot players and nan unit for this constricted model pinch nan Olympic Games, successful removing them from nan Olympic team, including nan caput coach, and sending them home,” Shoemaker said.

“The astir important portion of accusation that I learned was that, successful nan interim 24 hours that nan CEO of Canada Soccer had been connected nan crushed successful St- Etienne, he came to nan conclusion that Bev Priestman needed to beryllium suspended. We person seen immoderate of that information. We afloat support that it’s nan correct determination nether nan circumstances.”

Canada’s 2nd crippled is against big France connected Sunday successful St-Etienne. Shoemaker said he’s comfortable pinch nan defending women’s shot champions continuing to compete successful nan Games.

But FIFA’s disciplinary committee is looking into nan matter, and nan golden badge Canada won connected punishment kicks against Sweden successful Tokyo is now nether scrutiny. Priestman was Canada’s caput coach there, too.

“There now appears to beryllium accusation that could tarnish that Olympic capacity successful Tokyo,” Shoemaker said.

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“It makes maine ill. It makes maine sick to my tummy to deliberation that location could beryllium thing that calls into mobility … 1 of my favourite Olympic moments successful history, that women’s squad winning that golden badge against each likelihood successful COVID restrictions.”

Shoemaker acknowledged nan ungraded impacted Canada’s image to commencement nan Summer Games successful Paris, but hoped it wouldn’t detract from what is expected to beryllium a beardown capacity by nan squad arsenic a whole.

“Subsequent findings involving individuals astatine Canada Soccer person been not only incredibly disturbing, but besides each encompassing for america these past fewer days,” said COC president and Olympic rower Tricia Smith astatine nan news conference.

“What we saw this week is not my acquisition of athletics successful Canada. It’s not who we are.”

Soccer’s misconduct overshadowed some nan COC’s announcement Wednesday of flag-bearers Maude Charron and Andre De Grasse for nan opening ceremonies, and besides Friday’s ribbon-cutting to unfastened Canada Olympic House successful Paris.

“It’s sad. It’s surprising,” Olympic weightlifting champion Charron said Friday. “In my sport, we’re doing a batch of activity to enactment existent and play fair. Every athletics has different method to do aliases different strategies. My occupation present arsenic an jock stays nan same.

“I conjecture it stresses much a spot nan athletes successful soccer. But I can’t talk for them. I tin only talk for me.”

— With files from Gemma Karstens-Smith