(NewsSpace.com) – Athletes are very competitive, especially when they qualify for the Olympics, which is a testament to their devotion and dedication to being the best. Reaching the coveted sports event is something few manage to do, but when they do, they’re expected to be on their best behavior. Canada’s women’s soccer team is embroiled in a scandal, which has led it to dismiss some of its staff.
On the morning of Wednesday, July 24, the Canadian Olympic Committee announced that two of the women’s soccer staff—Jasmine Mander, its assistant coach, and Joseph Lombardi, an analyst—would no longer be part of the team during the global competition in Paris. Accusations arose that the two used drones to spy on the New Zealand women’s soccer team while they were training.
The New Zealand team filed a complaint with the International Olympic Committee after they realized Lombardi was controlling a drone. The device reportedly flew over practice at least twice—once on July 19 and once on July 22. Following the complaint, French authorities tracked the drone back to Canada’s team and detained the analyst. Then, the Canadian Olympic Committee determined that he used the device “to record the New Zealand women’s [soccer] team during practice” and issued an apology to New Zealand and the International Olympic Committee.
The head coach, Bev Priestman, released a statement following the allegations and the dismissal of her staff, saying, “This does not represent the values that [Canada’s] team stands for” and stating that she is “ultimately responsible for conduct in [her] program.” As such, she voluntarily agreed to step aside and not coach during the first match, which took place on Thursday, July 25. Canada won the match 2-1.
Canada’s coaching staff now has to partake in “mandatory ethics training,” which is currently under review by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), which could take further action.
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