Canada’s women’s soccer team will be without head coach Bev Priestman as they aim to defend their Olympic gold medal in Paris. Priestman was suspended after allegations of drone spying during the opening days of the Games. Assistant coach Andy Spence will lead the team during the competition while Priestman is suspended pending an external review.
The incident involved a drone allegedly spying on a New Zealand team practice, leading to the detention of a support staff member from the Canadian team. The Canadian Olympic Committee has apologized to New Zealand Football and the New Zealand Olympic Committee for the incident. Two other individuals, an analyst and an assistant coach from Canada Soccer, were sent home, and the team will undergo mandatory ethics training.
Priestman apologized to the New Zealand team and removed herself from Thursday’s match to emphasize the team’s commitment to integrity. Canada won the match 2-1. However, the Canadian Olympic Committee decided to remove Priestman for the rest of the Games after discovering previous drone use against opponents predating the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Priestman had signed on to coach Canada through the 2027 Women’s World Cup after leading the team to gold in Tokyo. The Canadian Olympic Committee’s decision to suspend Priestman was made based on additional information regarding the drone spying incidents. Andy Spence will continue to lead the team in Priestman’s absence.
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