Canada Women’s Football Team Penalized by FIFA Over Drone Incident at Paris Olympics

After a drone surveillance scandal, FIFA heavily fined the Tokyo 2020 gold winner Canadian women’s football team. Canada lost six points in the Paris Olympics women’s football competition and FIFA banned three coaches, including head coach Bev Priestman, for a year.


Two assistant coaches were caught using drones to spy on New Zealand’s practice sessions before their inaugural match, leading to the sanctions. The Canadian football federation was fined 200,000 Swiss francs ($226,000).

Canada won Olympic gold in Tokyo under head coach Bev Priestman, who was punished by the federation and banned by FIFA for a year. They were found guilty of “offensive behavior and violation of the principles of fair play.”

The Canadian federation was responsible for staff disregarding tournament rules. FIFA’s disciplinary process has accelerated this issue. The coaches and federation can appeal the fines to the Paris-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which handles urgent Olympic disputes.

Despite the point reduction, Canada remains in the competition. To advance, they must win all three Group A games and presumably finish second. They play group leaders France in Saint-Etienne on Sunday and Colombia in Nice on Thursday.

The scandal has clouded Canada’s campaign, despite interim coach Andy Spence’s 2-1 win over New Zealand in their opener. The penalties emphasize the offense’s seriousness and the Olympics’ strong fair play rules.

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