Olympic Scandal: Canada Women's football team gets sanctioned

The Paris 2024 Olympics faces some serious scandal as the Canadian women’s football team has been slapped with a severe six-point deduction following a scandal involving drone espionage.

Earlier this week, a member of the Canadian support staff was arrested by French police after New Zealand accused them of using a drone to spy on a training session in St Etienne.

New Zealand’s Olympic Committee (NZOC) and Football Federation expressed their deep disappointment and commitment to the integrity of the Games. “We are deeply shocked and disappointed by this incident, which occurred just three days before the sides are due to face each other in their opening game,” they stated.

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FIFA announced the hefty sanctions, including a one-year ban for Canada Women’s team manager Bev Priestman. “CSA was found responsible for failing to respect the applicable FIFA regulations… in connection with the CSA’s Women’s representative team’s drone usage,” FIFA’s statement read.

The Canadian Soccer Association and its officials have ten days to appeal the decision before it can be taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. This scandal casts a dark shadow over the Olympic spirit and raises serious questions about the lengths teams might go to gain a competitive edge.