The Canadian women’s football manager Beverly Priestman has been removed from her position as the Olympic head coach and suspended by the country’s football federation. This action was taken in response to an incident where a drone was flown over New Zealand’s training session on Monday.
In a statement, Canada Soccer explained that they made this decision because new information has come to light regarding previous drone use against opponents, which occurred before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
English-born Beverly Priestman, aged 38, had voluntarily withdrawn from her team’s opening 2-1 victory over New Zealand on Thursday. Additionally, Jasmine Mander, Priestman’s assistant, was sent home along with unaccredited analyst Joseph Lombardi.
Last Thursday, a French court issued a sentencing of eight months’ suspended jail time to Lombardi after he pleaded guilty to flying a drone in an urban area without a license.
Kevin Blue, the CEO of Canada Soccer, confirmed in a statement that Priestman will be suspended for the entire duration of the Games while an independent external review takes place. During this time, assistant coach Andy Spence will take charge of the team. The defending Olympic champions are set to play their next game against France on Sunday.
Speaking at a news conference on Friday, David Shoemaker, the CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee, revealed that Canada Soccer had accumulated enough evidence to support their decision to suspend Priestman.