Canadian soccer teams have been spying with drones for years

The plot in Canadian soccer’s Olympic drone spying scandal thickens. A TSN report alleges that the Canadian men’s and women’s soccer teams have been spying on opponents — with and without drones — for years.

Earlier this week, the Canadian Olympic women’s soccer team landed in hot water after the New Zealand team spotted a drone flying over their practice. The incident was reported to French authorities, and it was discovered that the drone operator was Joseph Lombardi, an unaccredited “analyst” with the Canadian squad. Lombardi and assistant coach Jasmine Mander were subsequently sent home, while head coach Bev Priestman voluntarily withdrew from the opening match against New Zealand. Priestman has since been suspended from the Games entirely.

It would’ve been a big enough scandal had this been a one-off, but TSN’s report cites sources close to the matter saying the team used the same tactics during the women’s team’s gold medal run at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and a Women’s World Cup qualifier game against Panama in 2022. The men’s national team also reportedly filmed practice sessions of the US men’s team in 2019 and a World Cup qualifier against Honduras in 2021.

More troubling: the report alleges that Canadian team staff and contractors were told that drone spying was part of the job — and that their positions were threatened if they didn’t comply. One source told TSN that during the Tokyo Olympics, staff even hid behind bushes, fences, and trees to film the Japanese team’s practice session. Another Canada Soccer contractor said when they refused to partake in the filming scheme for the 2023 Women’s World Cup, they were replaced by a staffer who would.

Kevin Blue, CEO of Canada Soccer, says the body is investigating the “systemic ethical shortcoming” but that the organization isn’t considering withdrawing the women’s team from the Games. Blue also insisted that the players were unaware of the drone spying tactics and pleaded that the team not be further penalized. Meanwhile, FIFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against Canada Soccer and Priestman.