On the eve of the Olympics, new information obtained by TSN reveals the extent of Canada Soccer’s controversial spying practices. The men’s and women’s teams have been secretly filming other countries’ national teams for several years to learn more about their opponents.
Closed-door training sessions were reportedly targeted.
The English-language sports media reported Thursday evening that this spying even took place during the last Olympic Games in Tokyo, where the Canadian women’s team won the first gold medal in their history.
Hollywood scripts
“In Tokyo, a lot of the facilities were a little more open, so in some cases you could see behind bushes, fences or trees. It wasn’t as complicated because there weren’t big mesh walls,” a source told TSN.
“So as long as you were close enough to the facility, you could see if you were in a hidden location.”
In addition to members of Canada Soccer’s coaching staff, contractors to the organization are also alleged to have taken part in these practices.
Information about other teams’ training sessions was accessible through social media and official publications from sports organisations such as FIFA.
“Most people consider it cheating, which it is,” one source told TSN. “Some of our coaches see it as a competitive advantage and justify it by saying everyone does it, which is also not true. Not everyone cheats and we shouldn’t cheat either.”
A widespread problem
TSN reports that Canada Soccer allegedly used these practices against various opponents during training for various international competitions including:
- South Korea
- United States
- Honduras
- Japan
- Panama
- Trinidad
Some of these cases had already made headlines, including the one against the Honduran team.
In 2021, the Central American national team was training in Toronto as they prepared to face the Canadian players. The session had to be stopped because a drone was spotted.
At the time, coach John Herdman blamed the curiosity of soccer fans.
“So I know we’re not going to visit the other countries too far in advance because with drones these days, obviously people can film,” he said, according to TSN. “So yeah, you have to be careful in CONCACAF. It’s a tricky place.”
Forced employees
TSN reportedly obtained the information from two sources who did not want to release their identities for fear of reprisals.
One source reportedly said spying was almost required of Canada Soccer employees.
“In some cases, people have been pushed to the limit and told, ‘You have to give 110 per cent and that’s part of the job; if you don’t feel comfortable, you don’t belong on the team,'” said one source who spoke to TSN.
A contractor has reportedly even lost his chance to accompany the team to Australia for the 2023 Women’s World Cup after refusing to spy on the rival team.
Bev Priestman suspended
The news broke as Bev Priestman has officially been suspended by Canada Soccer.
“Over the past 24 hours, additional information has been brought to our attention regarding the prior use of drones against opponents, leading up to the start of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris,” said Kevin Blue, CEO and Secretary General of Canada Soccer in a statement shared by the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC). An investigation is ongoing.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Bev Priestman
The Canadian Olympic Committee followed suit and announced that the head coach would no longer be part of their delegation. Andy Spence will replace the ousted coach.
Two members of the Canadian team had already been sent home by the COC after their actions were discovered. According to the Globe and Mail, analyst Joseph Lombardi was caught red-handed by French police Monday flying a drone to spy on the New Zealand team. He had communicated with assistant coach Jasmine Mander about his actions.
Canada won the match 2-1.