Following a drone-related controversy, Beverly Priestman, the manager of Canada’s women’s football team has been suspended by the country’s soccer federation and stripped off her role as Olympic head coach.
Earlier this week, New Zealand’s training session was disrupted after a drone appeared in the vicinity.
Canada Soccer made the decision based on new information regarding past occasions where drones were utilized against rivals, which took place ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
At 38 years old and hailing from England, Priestman had already withdrawn herself from her team’s victory against New Zealand by a score of 2-0 on Thursday.
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Her assistant coach Jasmine Mander alongside an unlicensed analyst named Joseph Lombardi were also dismissed.
For operating a drone in an urban area without the necessary authorization, Lombardi was recently given a suspended prison sentence of eight months in France.
An external review will be conducted while Priestman is suspended for the remainder of the Games, as declared by Kevin Blue, CEO of Canada Soccer.
Starting with Canada’s upcoming match against France on Sunday, Andy Spence, the assistant coach, will take over as head coach for the remainder of the tournament.
Taking responsibility for the incident, Priestman has apologized to New Zealand Football, her team and the general public. She emphasized that her actions do not align with her team’s principles.
A disciplinary review concerning Priestman, Lombardi and Mander has been initiated by FIFA.
