Canadian women’s national team head coach Bev Priestman was suspended by Canada Soccer and sent home from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Thursday night, the latest discipline in the aftermath of a drone scandal that has made international headlines.
Ahead of Canada’s opening match, performance analyst Joey Lombardi and assistant coach Jasmine Mander were removed from the Olympic team on Wednesday by the Canadian Olympic Committee after Lombardi was arrested for using a drone to record two New Zealand training sessions in Saint-Étienne. Lombardi was charged with maintaining an unmanned aircraft over a prohibited area, and accepted a suspended sentence of eight months. He has returned to Canada along with Mander, who is the coach that Lombardi reports to.
Priestman initially voluntarily stepped away from the team for Canada’s opening match on Thursday, saying in a statement that “this does not represent the values that our team stands for”, and that she is “ultimately responsible for conduct in our program.” She initially denied having direct involvement in the drone incidents in Saint-Étienne, which COC chief executive officer David Shoemaker believed, resulting in her not being removed from the team.
Shoemaker said that the organization reserved the right to impose further sanctions should they be necessary, which is now the case. The COC sent Priestman home as well on Thursday after she was suspended by Canada Soccer following revelations that drone use by the team is a practice that has been taking place since before the Olympics.
Priestman is suspended by Canada Soccer until the completion of an independent external review into the incidents, which was announced on Wednesday.
“Over the past 24 hours, additional information has come to our attention regarding previous drone use against opponents, predating the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” said Canada Soccer CEO & General Secretary Kevin Blue in a statement on Thursday night. “In light of these new revelations, Canada Soccer has made the decision to suspend Women’s National 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.”
Canada picked up a 2-1 victory over New Zealand on Thursday, with assistant coach Andy Spence taking charge of the team. Spence will remain in place as Canada’s acting head coach for the remainder of the Olympic Games.