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Canada’s coach Jesse Marsch gestures to his players from the touchline during the Conmebol 2024 Copa America tournament semi-final football match between Argentina and Canada at MetLife Stadium, in East Rutherford, New Jersey on July 9, 2024. Canada Soccer’s CEO has admitted the team attempted drone usage during the Copa America run, and says Marsch knew about it after the fact ‘at a minimum.’CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/Getty Images
In a video conference held a few hours before the beginning of the Olympic opening ceremony, Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue admitted that Canada’s attempted drone usage was not limited to this tournament, or to the women’s team.
According to Blue, there was at least one more incident during the Canadian men’s teams recent Cinderella run to the semi-finals of the Copa America.
“As it relates to the current situation on the men’s team, I’m aware of an instance of attempted drone usage during Copa America. My current understanding is that the fact pattern of that instance is significantly different than what occurred here, especially as it relates to the potential impact on competitive integrity. But we’re doing a review to specifically obtain a full understanding of these situations and what others may exist.”
He would not describe in detail what happened, but did say that Canada’s new men’s coach, Jesse Marsch, knew about it.
“[Marsch] was aware of it after the fact, at a minimum,” Blue said.
This now suggests that Canada’s pattern of cheating spans both programs, many years and multiple coaching regimes.
“The more I learn about this specific matter, the more concerned I get about a potential long term and deeply embedded systemic culture of this type of thing occurring, which is obviously completely unacceptable,” added Blue.
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The tentacles of this scandal reached more figures in Canadian soccer as the Friday wore on.
Later in the day, back home in Canada, Toronto FC head coach John Herdman was asked about the accusations. He is the coach who oversaw both the women’s and men’s national teams from 2011 until 2023, spanning two Olympics and the 2022 FIFA men’s World Cup.
At a TFC press conference, Herdman said that the while news about drone use was a “surprise and a shock,” he added that the Olympics wasn’t the time to “nitpick about scouting at tournaments.” He also insisted that it wasn’t something that took place during his time in charge of the national teams
“I’m highly confident that in my time as a head coach, at an Olympic Games or World Cup, we’ve never been involved in any of those activities,” he said.
However, when asked about specifically about accusations of drone use from the Honduras national men’s team stemming from a 2021 World Cup qualifier in Toronto, during his time in charge of the men’s team, Herdman demurred. He referred to Canada Soccer’s internal review, something he repeatedly said he would be willing to take part in.
“I’ll be happy to share my experiences as a coach through 10 years of work,” he said. “But again, I can be clear that going into Olympics and World Cups, Qatar, Rio, London, we had a great experience there. We had no problems and we played with spirit, integrity, heart, everything that you’d expect a Canadian team to do. And I’m proud of that.”
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Former Canada coach John Herdman says he will co-operate with a Canada Soccer review into what CEO and general secretary Kevin Blue called what appears to be “a systemic ethical shortcoming” with the organization. Herdman watches Toronto FC play against Charlotte FC during the second half of an MLS soccer match in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, April 13, 2024.Nell Redmond/The Associated Press
Shortly afterwards, Christine Sinclair, the captain of Herdman’s Olympic teams as well as the squad that won gold in Tokyo three years ago, released a statement on social media denying any knowledge of drone usage during her time with the national team.
“It’s unfortunate that the players of our national team have had to play through condemnable actions by some of their staff as they attempt to defend our gold medal. Actions players have no control over,” Sinclair wrote on Instagram. “I want to be clear that having been a national team player for 23 years, we were never shown or discussed drone footage in team or individual meetings I’ve been present for.”
Sinclair, who retired from international soccer after last year’s World Cup, went on to add that she and her Canadian teammates always played the game with sportsmanship.
“As players, we train endlessly our whole lives for those moments. Together, we take pride in letting our play speak for itself,” the statement read. “We battle within the touchlines with integrity, and try to meet each other with grace – win, lose or draw.”
Blue said that he will not consider withdrawing the Canadian women’s team from these Olympics because that would be “to the detriment of the players.”
The CEO insisted that none of drone footage gathered of New Zealand’s team practices in France was viewed by the players on Canada’s Olympic team as they prepared to face the Kiwis in their opening match Thursday, which Canada won 2-1.
Blue and Canada Soccer President Peter Augruso – both just months into their jobs with the national sport body – are in St-Etienne with the women’s team, investigating what happened with the drones in France.
“I feel deeply for our players who are engaged in what is supposed to be a lifetime highlight of being an Olympian,” said Blue. “The players themselves have have not been involved in any unethical behaviour.”
Blue’s comments came later Friday afternoon, after Canadian Olympic Committee chief executive officer David Shoemaker said the head coach of its women’s soccer team was “highly likely to have been aware” drones were used to spy on an opponent’s practices in France.
Shoemaker made the comments on Friday at the COC’s opening press conference at the Olympics, hours after the national federation removed Bev Priestman from the Olympics earlier that morning.
“One of the key pieces of information was the conclusion from Canada Soccer that she needed to be suspended based on their accumulation of facts,” said Shoemaker in a press conference on Friday in Paris. “I’ve seen some of them, some of the information they have, and we got some additional information ourselves. That made me conclude that she was highly likely to have been aware of the incidents in St-Etienne.”
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On what should have been a proud day for the Canadian Olympic Committee in Paris, the drone scandal continued to upstage all other stories, including the Canadian athletes competing in 31 other sports.
As the COC swung wide the doors of its new Canadian Olympic House in Paris Friday morning and readied its athletes to participate in the Opening Ceremony along the River Seine, the federation’s “shock and disappointment” over the drone spying scandal permeated the discussion at the COC’s press conference to open the Games.
Blue had just put out a statement earlier Friday saying: “Over the past 24 hours, additional information has come to our attention regarding previous drone use against opponents, predating the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. In light of these new revelations, Canada Soccer has made the decision to suspend Women’s National Soccer Team Head Coach, Bev Priestman for the remainder of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and until the completion of our recently announced independent external review.”
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Canadian Olympic Committee chief executive officer David Shoemaker says the head coach of the national women’s soccer team was likely aware drones were used to spy on another team’s practices in France. Canada’s head coach Bev Priestman walks along the touch line prior to first half international friendly action against Mexico in Toronto, on Tuesday June 4, 2024.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
The COC was asked if this could potentially impact the women’s Tokyo 2020 gold medal as well.
“There now appears to be information that could tarnish that Olympic performance in Tokyo makes me ill,” added Shoemaker. “Makes me sick to my stomach to think that there could be something that calls into question what I’m sure so many of you have heard me say over the course of the last three years, one of my favorite Olympic moments in history, that women’s team winning that gold medal against all odds.”
A key member of that gold-medal winning team in Tokyo posted a rebuff to the drone accusations on social media.
“If anyone wants to speak about pks. i studied HARD the night before every match. Watched video of players taking pks in national team and club games,” said Canadian Olympic goalkeeper Stephanie Labbé, now retired. “Made my own educated guesses based on that info. NO DRONE FOOTAGE was watched. Do not confuse great goalkeeping with cheating.”
It has cast a black cloud over the COC before what was promised to be a strong showing in Paris for its 338 athletes, with some 20 medals projected. The federation’s frustration was evident on Friday.
“The drone incident and subsequent findings involving individuals at Canada soccer have been not only incredibly disturbing, but also all-encompassing for us these last few days,” said COC President Tricia Smith.
“What we saw this week is not my experience of sport in Canada. It’s not who we are.”
Editor’s note: The story and headline have been updated to better reflect Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue’s comments.
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Publish date : 2024-07-26 06:49:15
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