Canada women’s football manager Beverly Priestman has been removed from her role as head coach at the 2024 Summer Olympics and suspended after Canada Soccer said it had received “additional information” following the use of a drone over New Zealand’s training session on Monday.
County Durham-born Priestman voluntarily withdrew from Canada’s opening 2-0 win over the Kiwis on Thursday, with assistant Jasmine Mander sent home along with “unaccredited analyst” Joseph Lombardi, who was later given an eight-month suspended jail sentence by a French court after pleading guilty to flying a drone in an urban area without a licence.
Canadian Olympic Committee chief executive David Shoemaker said the information he had seen made him believe Priestman was “highly likely to have been aware” of the drone operation, CBC News Olympics reporter Devin Heroux said.
Heroux added that Shoemaker was “comfortable” with the women’s football team continuing their Olympic schedule.
The Canadian Olympic Committee has removed CWNT head coach, Bev Priestman from the Canadian Olympic Team.
Assistant coach Andy Spence will lead the CWNT for the remainder of the Paris 2024 Olympics. pic.twitter.com/JI2cvnrgud
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) July 25, 2024
Canada Soccer: Olympics statement
The governing body said it had removed Priestman because of details it had discovered across the previous 24 hours concerning “previous drone use against opponents, predating the Paris 2024 Olympic Games”.
An independent external review has been launched against the 38-year-old, who led Canada to glory at the 2020 Olympics, which were held in 2021.
Assistant coach Andy Spence will oversee Canada’s match against France on Sunday and the rest of their campaign.
I had a simple question for Canadian Olympic Committee CEO David Shoemaker:
“Are you comfortable with the Canadian women’s soccer team continuing to play at the Olympics?”
His response: “Yes, I am comfortable with the team continuing to play at the Olympics”
— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) July 26, 2024
Bev Priestman: Canada manager out
Priestman did not play professional football, making her name as a coach from 2013, when she began as Canada’s Under-17 coach.
She returned to England to take charge of the country’s Under-17 team and served as Phil Neville’s assistant with the senior side between 2018 and 2020.
Having installed Priestman in 2021, Canada beat Sweden on penalties to win Olympic gold and reached the Concacaf final a year later, losing to the USA.
The Canucks failed to advance from the group stage at the 2023 World Cup under Priestman, who is married to former New Zealand midfielder Emma Humphries.
“I first and foremost want to apologise to the players and staff at New Zealand Football and to the players on Team Canada,” Priestman said after the drone incident this week.
“This does not represent the values that our team stands for. I am ultimately responsible for conduct in our program.”
Fifa have started disciplinary proceedings against Priestman, Lombardi and Mander.