The Canadian Olympic Committee has dismissed Bev Priestman, the head coach of the women’s national football team, for the rest of the Paris Games amidst allegations of a drone spying incident.
In a statement issued early Friday, the COC announced that assistant coach Andy Spence will take charge of the defending gold medalists for the remainder of the tournament.
This week, Canada’s camp faced significant disruption after two staff members were sent home for supposedly using a drone to surveil a practice session of the New Zealand team.
Despite denying any wrongdoing, Priestman was absent during the 2-1 victory against New Zealand on Thursday while the International Olympic Committee and FIFA conduct investigations into the matter.
Kevin Blue, CEO and general secretary of Canada Soccer, stated in the COC announcement that “new information regarding prior drone usage against competitors has emerged, predating the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”
He further mentioned that Priestman would be suspended from her role until the tournament’s conclusion and following the completion of an independent external review.
The COC reported on Wednesday that assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi were “sent home immediately,” and that Priestman had opted to step away from coaching the opening match.
Priestman conducted a brief press conference on Wednesday after overseeing her team’s one-hour practice session.
“It feels like this program has let the country down,” Priestman expressed. “That’s why I took the proactive approach to do what I believed was right. Regardless of the specifics, I’m ultimately responsible.”
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At 38 years of age, Priestman had initially agreed to a contract in January to coach Canada through the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
Hired in November 2020 to replace Kenneth Heiner-Møller, Priestman had been operating on a rolling contract. She successfully led Canada to a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics but faced an early exit in the group stage of last year’s World Cup. Under her leadership, the team recorded 28 wins, nine losses, and 10 draws.
Before her current role, Priestman spent five years at the Canadian Soccer Association in various coaching positions before moving back to England in June 2018, where she served as the under-18 women’s team coach and assistant coach for the senior women’s team. Prior to that, she was the head of football development in New Zealand for over four years, leaving in June 2013.
