Canada coach Bev Priestman apologizes to New Zealand, says spying scandal doesn’t signify crew’s “values.”
Canadian ladies’s soccer coach Bev Priestman has withdrawn from her duties as match starter on the Paris Olympics, whereas an assistant coach and a crew analyst have been banned from the Video games after a spying scandal engulfed the match.
The game’s governing physique FIFA stated Wednesday it had launched disciplinary proceedings after the New Zealand ladies’s crew stated a coaching session this week had been disrupted by a drone flown by a Canadian crew employees member.
Canada and New Zealand will meet within the opening match of Group A on Thursday.
The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) additionally stated it had taken steps to take away two Olympic crew employees members who have been gold medallists on the Tokyo Video games.
“Joseph Lombardi, an unaccredited analyst for Canada Soccer, will probably be faraway from the Canadian Olympic Staff and despatched residence instantly,” the COC stated in an announcement.
“Jasmine Mander, an assistant coach to whom Mr. Lombardi reviews, will probably be faraway from the Canadian Olympic crew and despatched residence instantly.”
Lombardi, 43, was additionally given an eight-month suspended jail sentence for flying the drone over New Zealand’s coaching session on Monday in Saint-Etienne.
In an announcement, Priestman, head coach of the Canadian crew, stated she had determined to “voluntarily withdraw” from the match towards New Zealand on Thursday.
“On behalf of our whole crew, I might initially prefer to apologize to the gamers and employees of New Zealand Soccer and the gamers of Staff Canada. This doesn’t signify the values ​​that our crew stands for,” Priestman stated.
The New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) reported the incident to police and the Worldwide Olympic Committee’s integrity unit.
The NZOC stated it and the New Zealand Soccer Federation “are dedicated to upholding the integrity and equity of the Olympic Video games.”
“Presently, the NZOC’s major precedence is to help New Zealand’s feminine soccer athletes and the broader crew as they start their marketing campaign,” she added.