The Canadian women’s soccer team will be missing a very important person for its Paris Games opener in the midst of an Olympic scandal.
Canadian women’s soccer team head coach Bev Priestman has removed herself from Thursday’s 2024 Games debut against New Zealand because of a drone incident earlier this week, the Canadian Olympic Committee announced Wednesday.
The COC said Tuesday that a “non-accredited” member of Canada Soccer’s support team was detained by French authorities in Saint-Étienne for allegedly using a drone to record New Zealand’s team during practice.
On Wednesday, the COC also announced that Joseph Lombardi, an unaccredited analyst with Canada Soccer, is being removed from the Canadian Olympic team and will be sent home immediately.
Jasmine Mander, an assistant coach to whom Lombardi reports to, is being removed from the Canadian Olympic team and will be sent home immediately.
More to come.
