Canada Soccer has ruled on the drone spying scandal that rocked the federation, definitively cutting ties with women’s team coach Bev Priestman.
In its findings of the investigation released Tuesday, Canada Soccer ruled that Priestman and his deputy Jasmine Mander had “directed, approved and tolerated” the use of drones for espionage purposes at the most recent Olympic Games.
• Also read: Spy scandal: drones used by John Herdman’s Toronto FC?
• Also read: Gabrielle Carle denounces toxic climate under Bev Priestman
In France, a member of the team’s staff, Joey Lombardi, was arrested by the country’s police after stealing a device equipped with a camera from New Zealand’s training. Canada won its opening match of the Olympic tournament by a score of 2 to 1, a few days after the affair was made public.
Priestman and Mander will not return to their positions when their one-year suspension ends, a release from Canada Soccer revealed. Lombardi, for his part, submitted his resignation.
“The findings of the independent investigator reveal that the drone incident in Paris was a symptom of an unacceptable past culture and insufficient control within the national teams,” assured the president and CEO of Canada Soccer, Kevin Blue.
John Herdman spared for now
The name of John Herdman, who led Canada’s men’s and women’s teams between 2011 and 2023, was also mentioned in a separate note in the report. Canada Soccer has “identified potential violations of the federation’s code of conduct and ethics” in connection with the current Toronto FC pilot.
Independent investigator Sonia Regenbogen of Mathews, Dinsdale & Clark, LLP, however, was unable to speak with Herdman due to scheduling conflicts, but he said he was willing to cooperate in July.
In a 26-page report presented the same month, the Court of Arbitration for Sport presented evidence confirming that the espionage had been planted by Herdman. Canada Soccer also placed the blame on the 49-year-old man.
It was Andy Spence who took the reins of the women’s team following the suspension of Priestman, in office since October 2020. Kevin Blue indicated that several “human relations measures” would be evaluated and that the search for ‘a new coach would start soon.
