FIFA deducted six points from the Canadian women’s national soccer team playing in the 2024 Paris Olympics soccer tournament and fined them $226,000 for using drones to spy on opponents.
Canadian Soccer Association coaches Beverly Priestman, Joseph Lombardi, and Jasmine Mander were also suspended from taking part in any football-related activity for one year.
FIFA said that the Canadians violated Article 13 of the Disciplinary Code, which covers offensive behavior and violations of the principles of fair play, and Article 6.1 of the OFT Regulations after two assistant coaches were caught using drones to spy on New Zealand’s practices before their first game.
Get Olympics updates in your texts! Join USA TODAY Sports’ WhatsApp Channel
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
The governing body of world soccer said Priestman and the two assistants were “responsible for offensive behavior and violation of the principles of fair play.”
The Canadians won the Olympic title in 2021 at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games, and Priestman was suspended and then removed from the Olympic tournament.
With interim coach Andy Spence, Canada beat New Zealand 2-1.
The Canadians still have a chance to advance in the tournament, but they must win every game in Group A and hope to advance by accumulating points in the standings. Their next game is against France on Sunday before they take on Colombia on Thursday.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FIFA takes points from Canada women’s soccer team for using drones
