“Us against the world”… How the Canadian women, sanctioned for espionage, overcame the crisis to beat the Blues

Punished by FIFA with a six-point penalty for spying, the Tokyo gold medallists responded on the pitch by winning by a hair’s breadth against Les Bleues on Sunday in Saint-Etienne.

Are they motivated by a sense of revenge or weighed down by a situation beyond their control? That was the question that arose on Sunday, July 28 in Saint-Etienne, before the Canadian women’s first match since losing six points in the Olympic football tournament. On Saturday, on the eve of France-Canada, FIFA had been heavy-handed when it came to punishing the gold medal-winning team in Tokyo, after one of its staff members was caught spying on New Zealand’s training session using a drone earlier in the week.

But as in the victory against the Ferns (2-1), while they were waiting to know their fate, the Canucks once again demonstrated their mental strength, overturning the Bleues at the end of added time thanks to a goal from Vanessa Gilles (2-1, 90th+12′).

Enough to stay alive in the tournament, when any other result would have doomed them. “It shows how resilient this team is. I’m so proud of my teammates and to be a part of this group.admitted in the mixed zone captain Jessie Fleming, author of the equalizer after the break (1-1, 58th).

Before this positive outcome, the players of Andy Spence – assistant promoted to number 1 the day before due to the one-year suspension of coach Bev Priestman – had multiplied the encouragement and marks of support between them during the match. “I hadn’t planned [cette affaire] in my Olympic bingo. It’s not easy to see your partners suffer, but we’ve been there for each other. It feels like we’re alone against the world.”added with emotion Jessie Fleming, who celebrated for long minutes on the pitch and in the stands of the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium.

“It’s been hard this week: we’re human. We tried to ignore it but [la polémique d’espionnage] was everywhere, then we said to ourselves that we had nothing to lose,” added former PSG full-back Ashley Lawrence. In recent days, the team had used therapists and mental trainers to try to evacuate the emotions. “We gave each other energy, with our determination and our pride in representing our country despite this shit (sic)”explained Vanessa Gilles, in tears, on Canadian television.

“We are not cheaters, we are really good players, a really good team and we proved it.”

Like the players in the current squad, the legend and top international scorer in history, Christine Sinclair (190 goals in 331 caps), assured that she was not aware of the use of these methods: “Let’s be clear, we never saw or discussed drone footage in the twenty-three years I was there.”wrote the now-retired Tokyo Olympic champion on Instagram.

Because in addition to having to manage this crisis in the middle of Paris 2024, the North Americans have had to deal with the doubts that now surround their coronation of three years ago, acquired thanks to a pragmatic game. To wash away this affront, they now hope to win their case during an appeal of the sanction against the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), whose decision is expected on Monday.

The fact remains that with a neutral total of zero points after two days, the Canadians still have the cards in hand to hope to reach the quarter-finals thanks to their performances. The two best third-placed teams (out of three groups) can qualify. A third victory against Colombia on Wednesday, coupled with a good goal difference, could give them an almost unexpected qualification.