Accusations of Drone Surveillance in Women’s Football
The French, German, and Zambian national women’s football teams have denied allegations of using drones to spy on opposition training sessions. The controversy originated from an internal email by Canada’s head coach Bev Priestman, who, after admitting to using drone surveillance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, accused top-ranked teams of employing similar covert methods. In the email dated March 20, 2024, Priestman stated, “…for scouting it can be the difference between winning and losing, and all top 10 teams do it.”
Responses from National Federations
Following inquiries by The Athletic, several federations, including Spain, France, Germany, USWNT, Japan, Brazil, Australia, Colombia, New Zealand, Nigeria, and Zambia, refuted Priestman’s claims. The French Football Federation (FFF) stated, “We only wish to state that the French Federation is never using any spying methods on the opponents’ teams. We also add that, if the mail does exist, we strongly reject these baseless accusations.”
Similarly, a spokesperson for Team Zambia remarked, “Team Zambia does not use drones to spy on our opponents. Our approach to match preparation relies on traditional methods of analysis and scouting. We respectfully disagree with Ms. Priestman’s assertion that ‘all top 10 teams’ engage in such practices.” The German women’s national team also denied the use of drones for spying but opted not to comment further on Priestman’s allegations.
Team Canada’s Situation
New Zealand, Canada’s first opponents in Paris, reported a drone flying over their practice session just before the opening match. The drone was found to be operated by Joseph Lombardi, an “unaccredited analyst” with the Canadian women’s team, according to the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC). As a result of this incident, Canada faced severe penalties. They were docked six points in their Olympic qualification group and fined £175,720 by FIFA. Coach Priestman, Lombardi, and another official, Jasmine Mender, received year-long suspensions.
Canada’s appeal to overturn the points deduction was rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Wednesday, mere hours before the team secured their quarter-final spot with a 1-0 victory over Colombia. Assistant coach Andy Spence is now overseeing the team in Priestman’s absence. Canada Sport expressed disappointment over the rejection of their appeal, stating they “continue to believe that our players should not have been unnecessarily punished for actions that were not their own.”
Source and credits: www.nytimes.com
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