July 25, (THEWILL) – Two members of the Canadian women’s football coaching staff have been sent home from the Paris Olympics following a drone incident before their opening match against New Zealand. Head coach, Bev Priestman, has also withdrawn from coaching the Group A opener in Saint-Etienne on Thursday.
FIFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against Canada Soccer after New Zealand reported that their training session on Monday was disrupted by a drone. Assistant coach, Jasmine Mander and unaccredited analyst, Joseph Lombardi, were sent home due to the incident. Lombardi is the director of the National Development Centre Ontario and Women’s U-20 programme, while Mander was Priestman’s assistant at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the World Cup last year.
Priestman apologised for the incident, stating that it does not represent the values of the team and accepting ultimate responsibility for the conduct in the programme. The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) confirmed that a non-accredited member of the Canada Soccer support team was detained by authorities.
The COC expressed shock and disappointment over the incident, emphasising their commitment to fair play. They offered apologies to New Zealand Football, the affected players, and the New Zealand Olympic Committee. The incident has cast a shadow over Canada’s preparations for their opening match in the tournament.
This unexpected turn of events has disrupted Canada’s Olympic campaign before it even began, raising questions about team discipline and fair play in international competitions. It remains to be seen how this incident will affect the team’s performance and morale in the upcoming matches.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
