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Sam Bowden, ESPN Senior Writer
MARSEILLE, France — The Olympics can be a hectic event, with one sport leading into the next, but the swift investigation and harsh punishment of the Canadian women's soccer team for spying on an opponent's closed-door training remains a big, if complicated, story.
Here's everything you need to know about the situation.
What's the basic timeline for this?
On Monday, July 22, the New Zealand women's soccer team notified French police that a drone had been flying during their training session in Saint-Étienne. French authorities tracked the drone to Canadian Soccer Association staff member Joseph Lombardi. Canada and New Zealand were scheduled to play on Thursday.
The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) announced on Wednesday, July 24, that Lombardi and his direct assistant coach, Jasmine Mander, had been sent home. Head coach Beverley Priestman issued a statement saying that while she did not “direct” the staff member who operated the drone, she was “voluntarily” stepping down from match coaching and apologizing to New Zealand for actions that “do not represent the values the team upholds.” The Canadian Soccer Association announced an investigation into the incident. FIFA announced it would hold a disciplinary hearing.
On Thursday, July 25, Canada defeated New Zealand, 2-1, led by assistant coach Andy Spence.
Canada Soccer Association CEO David Blue told reporters on Friday, July 26, that based on prior discussions, the federation believes this is not an isolated incident but the latest example of “institutional culture,” and that Priestman will not coach during the Paris Olympics.
On Saturday, July 27, FIFA announced that Priestman and two other members of staff were “each held responsible for offensive behaviour and breaches of the principles of fair play.” All three were banned from professional football for one year, and the Canadian team was penalised with six Olympic points, making it very difficult for them to qualify for the knockout stages.
What do we know about the “systemic” culture mentioned by the Canadian Soccer Association?
Blue said the extent to which Canada has engaged in this type of conduct, and for how long, is at the heart of what the federation is trying to determine, but reports suggest it is a widespread pattern.
ESPN reported that the U.S. Soccer Federation has been aware of attempts by the Canadian men's and women's teams to peek into closed-door training sessions for years. TSN and other outlets have reported numerous previous incidents involving various opponents, including espionage at CONCACAF Nations League games, World Cup qualifiers, this summer's Copa America and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where the Canadian women's team won a gold medal.
“It makes me sick, it makes me sick to my stomach, to think that there could be something that calls into question one of my favourite moments in Olympic history,” said David Shoemaker, the Olympic Committee's chief executive.
What are the Canadian players saying?
Canada Soccer President Bleu has said that Canadian players have never seen the footage obtained in France. “As players, we felt a lot of emotion, frustration and humiliation because it didn't reflect what we want to represent as athletes at the Olympics and what our values are,” defender Vanessa Gilles told reporters after the match against New Zealand. “We are not cheaters,” Gilles added.
Asked what she'd heard about people's reactions in Canada, forward Adriana Leon told reporters she stays off social media because “I don't want to think about it.”
“This tournament moves so fast there's no time for emotions,” team captain Jesse Fleming told media.
What about former players?
Many former players have spoken out on social media and elsewhere to defend their accomplishments. Christine Sinclair, widely considered the greatest player in Canadian soccer's history, wrote in a statement on Instagram, referring to the gold medal in Tokyo, “It is unfortunate that the Canadian players had to endure the reprehensible behavior of some of our staff as they sought to defend their gold medal. We have no control over the actions of our players.”
“In my 23 years as a national team player, drone footage has never been shown or discussed at any team or individual meeting that I have attended,” Sinclair added.
Former goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe, who was part of the 2021 gold medal team, wrote on social media that her ability to stop penalties in Tokyo was down to studying her opponents thoroughly and making “educated guesses” in two key shootouts. “Do not confuse good goalkeeping with cheating,” she wrote.
If this is a pattern, does that mean other coaches may be involved?
Yes. Canada's men's team “tried to use drones” at this year's Copa America, Blue said, but added that new coach Jesse Marsh only found out about it after the fact and “blamed it on his staff that it was a practice.” But the incident is part of a larger investigation by the Canadian Soccer Association.
More significantly, John Herdman, who coached Canada's women's national team from 2011 to 2018 and men's national team from 2018 to 2023, was in a position of authority in many of the alleged espionage cases. (Hardman and Priestman also have deep ties: Herdman was Priestman's youth futsal coach in both their native England, and Priestman coached Canada's U-17 and U-20 national teams while Herdman was coach of the senior team.)
Herdman, who currently coaches Toronto FC, said he would cooperate with any investigation, adding in a statement that he “firmly believes we were not involved in any such activity during our time as Olympic or World Cup managers.”
However, it is worth noting that the majority of the alleged spying cases occurred during competitions other than the Olympics or World Cup.
Are there any other penalties that could be imposed against Canada or its officials?
It is unlikely that further sanctions will be imposed against Canada at the Paris tournament, but FIFA could consider further punishment in the future if the investigation uncovers new evidence.
It also seems unlikely, but not impossible, that past medals, including the gold medal won by the women's team at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, could be at risk. The International Olympic Committee did not respond to ESPN's request for comment on the matter.
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Should Canadian women's soccer be banned from the Olympics because of a spy scandal?
Ali Krieger reacts to Canada sending home women's national soccer team coach Bev Priestman following the drone cheating scandal.
Who were the two staff members sent home, Lombardi and Mander?
Lombardi, 43, is a technical coach and analyst who worked on Canada's staff for six FIFA youth tournaments between 2012 and 2022. He was also part of the staff for the 2023 Women's World Cup.
Mander, 29, is an assistant coach and was part of Priestman's staff at the 2021 Olympics and the 2023 Women's World Cup.
Have any criminal charges been filed in connection with this incident?
The use of drones and the potential invasion of privacy is a serious issue in France, and police were quick to step in. On July 24, a French court announced that an unnamed 43-year-old Canadian man had received an eight-month suspended sentence for filming two private training sessions in New Zealand from the air.
What happens next?
Canada will face France on Sunday night in their second group stage match. They will enter the match with minus three points after being assessed a six-point penalty. Canada still has a slim chance of making it to the knockout rounds, as the two third-place finishers in the three-group, 12-team tournament will advance to the quarterfinals.
Canada could successfully appeal the points penalty and have them subtracted. The Court of Arbitration for Sport, which has jurisdiction, runs a special tribunal for each Olympics to hear time-sensitive cases like this one.
Priestman, Mander and Lombardi may appeal the suspensions imposed by FIFA, but unless changed, all three will be banned from taking part in “any football-related activity for one year”.
