The Canadian Soccer Association says an independent review confirmed the Paris Olympics drone-spying scandal was not an isolated misstep.
Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue said in a statement Friday the spying “was a symptom of a past pattern of an unacceptable culture and insufficient oversight within the national teams.”
Canada Soccer announced July 31 it had retained Sonia Regenbogen of the law firm of Mathews, Dinsdale & Clark to review the Olympic incident and any related matters. The CSA said it was reviewing the report, and Blue said he expects to release conclusions and future steps within a week.
Canada women’s coach Bev Priestman, assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi are serving one-year FIFA suspensions after New Zealand’s Olympic Committee filed a complaint with the IOC’s integrity unit, alleging drones were flown over a pair of pre-tournament practice sessions.
Canada was penalized six points in the group phase and fined 200,000 Swiss francs ($228,000 U.S.). Trying to defend its 2021 Olympic title, Canada advanced to the group stage and lost to Germany on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals.
Credit : www.espn.co.uk
