Canadian football coach Bev Priestman has been banned from the 2024 Paris Olympics due to 'the use of drones against opponents' The head coach of Canada's women's Olympic football team has been removed from her position following an alleged drone spying scandal. The Canadian Olympic Committee announced that Priestman has been banned by the Canadian Soccer Federation. Assistant coach Andy Spence will now lead the team. Kevin Blue, CEO of the Canadian Soccer Federation, stated that new information regarding the use of drones against opponents has been obtained prior to Paris 2024, leading to Priestman's suspension. The incident began when New Zealand claimed to have seen a drone above their training facilities. Police arrested "unaccredited analyst" Joseph Lombardi and questioned Priestman's assistant, Jasmine Mander. Lombardi admitted his guilt and received a fine and suspended prison sentence. FIFA launched an investigation, and Priestman issued an apology and announced that she will not be managing the team for Thursday's match. Priestman has been coaching the Canadian national team since 2020 and the team won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
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