Canada soccer head coach bounced from Olympics after drone spying scandal

A day after Bev Priestman denied knowing about a drone spying scandal at the Paris Olympics the Canada Women’s National Soccer Team head coach is out of the tournament.

The Canada Olympic Committee has suspended Priestman until the end of the competition and the completion of the organization’s independent external review.

A member of the team’s support staff and an assistant coach were sent home this week for using drones to spy on the New Zealand squad prior to the opening match.

Priestman, who professed no knowledge of the ‘Spygate’ skullduggery, voluntary suspended herself for Thursday’s match against the Football Ferns amid demands for her resignation, while social media channels were in full throat with cries of “embarrassment.”

Assistant coach Andy Spence, who was on the sidelines for Canada’s 2-1 win over the New Zealand team Thursday, will coach Canada through the rest of the Olympic tournament.

Canada Soccer CEO and general secretary Kevin Blue said the decision to suspend Priestman was reached after “additional information” came to his attention regarding previous drone use against opponents, “predating the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”

FIFA – soccer’s world governing body – and the International Olympic Committee have also opened investigations into the drone spying incident.

Canada plays host France, the #2 ranked team in the world, Sunday.