Canada women’s football head coach Bev Priestman has expressed she is “absolutely heartbroken for the players” after a drone scandal put the Olympic champions’ title defense at risk.
The team has been penalized with a six-point deduction for Paris 2024, and Priestman has received a one-year football ban from FIFA, the global governing body.
Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) officials Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander have also been suspended trang cá độ bóng đá from all football activities for one year.
They faced sanctions after a drone was used to spy on a training session conducted by New Zealand, who are in Canada’s group for the Paris Games.
“I am deeply heartbroken for the players and want to offer my sincerest apologies for the impact this situation has had on them,” Priestman said in a statement on Sunday.
“I recognize how hard they have worked after a challenging year in 2023, and they are a group deeply committed to sportsmanship and integrity.”
The English-born coach, addressing the ongoing CSA investigation, stated: “As the leader of the team on the field, I want to take responsibility and fully cooperate with the investigation.”
She also urged the Canadian public to continue supporting the players.
Earlier on Sunday, the Canadian government announced it will withhold funding for the women’s football officials who were banned by FIFA.
Carla Qualtrough, the country’s sports minister, described the use of a drone to monitor New Zealand’s training session as “cheating.”
The situation that happened is considered extremely unfortunate, not only a regret for the players but also a regret for the fans in Canada.
“This assessment is not only unfair to the Canadian team but also shows a lack of respect for the opposing team” Qualtrough added.
“This competition is for women, so we discussed and agreed to refuse to accept support from officials who are being accused of fraud by Fifa.”
Sport Canada is the government-led organization that provides funding to elite national organizations.
Canadian Olympic Committee CEO David Shoemaker said on Friday that there seemed to be “information that could tarnish” the women’s football gold medal won at the Tokyo Games.
This followed reports from Canadian media suggesting that drones had been used at previous tournaments.
Qualtrough added: “There is a deeply troubling pattern of behavior at Canada Soccer.
“We request a clear investigation from all parties, and we will pursue and monitor until the truth is announced” this is the announcement of the committee for the future development of Canadian sports issued to improve the quality of sports. amount of Canadian sport in the future”
However, Priestman stated in her statement that the “gold medal was won through sheer grit and determination, despite contrary reports.”
Canada, led by assistant coach Andy Spence in Priestman’s absence, has defeated New Zealand and hosts France in their first two Group A matches.
A 2-1 victory over France on Sunday evening places them third in the group table with zero points. However, a win over Colombia in their final group game would ensure their qualification for the quarter-finals.
Vanessa Gilles scored the decisive goal 12 minutes into second-half stoppage time, securing a win for Canada against the hosts in Saint-Étienne and keeping their hopes of advancing alive.