The CEO of the Canadian Soccer Federation said the men’s national soccer team “tried using drones” during the Copa America tournament that ended earlier this month.
Kevin Blue said the details of the spying by the men’s players were “significantly different” to what had happened with the women’s team in France and that it was his understanding that it did not affect the fairness of the competition, but he would not give details when speaking to the press in Paris on Friday.
Jesse Marsh, head coach of the men’s national team, said he knew after the fact that drones might be used at the U.S. Games.
Blue said Marsh “condemned it as a practice towards his own employees.”
Canada advanced as an away team to the semifinals of the Copa America, South America’s most important soccer tournament, but lost 0-2 to Argentina.
Blue made the comments after women’s soccer coach Bev Priestman was suspended from the Olympics early Friday morning and two staff members were expelled from the team on Wednesday following reports they used a drone to spy on New Zealand’s practice.
Speaking to the media in Paris, Canadian Soccer Association CEO Kevin Blue mentioned how the Canadian women’s and men’s soccer teams have used drones to monitor closed practices in other countries.
Blue said a full investigation would be needed, including how much coaches knew about the “anecdotal feedback” from both programs going back years. He did not provide a timeline.
“The more I learn about this specific issue, the more I worry that this could create a long-term, deeply ingrained, systemic culture that is clearly completely unacceptable,” he said.
He defended the players, saying “they have never engaged in any unethical conduct themselves.”
FIFA, the sport’s governing body, is also investigating the matter, as is the Olympic gold medal that the Canadian women’s team won on penalties against Sweden at the Tokyo Olympics. Priestman was Canada’s coach at the time.
“It is unfortunate that our national team had to endure the reprehensible behavior of some staff members as they attempted to defend their gold medal. Behavior that was beyond the players’ control,” Canadian captain Christine Sinclair wrote on social media in Tokyo.
“I would like to make it clear that in my 23 years as a national team player, drone footage has never been shown or discussed in any team or personal meeting I have attended,” she wrote.
Toronto FC head coach and former men’s and women’s coach John Herdman said he will cooperate with the Canadian Soccer Association’s full investigation.
“I am confident that I have never been involved in such activities during my tenure as a coach at the Olympics or the World Cup,” he said.
