Paris 2024: Drone scandal leads to Canada women's football head coach Bev Priestman's suspension

The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) announced on Thursday that Bev Priestman, the head coach of the women's football team, has been dismissed from her position. This decision follows Canada Soccer's suspension of Priestman in the wake of a drone spying controversy that has brought unwanted international attention to the 2020 Olympic champions.
For the rest of the Paris Olympics, the Canadian women's team will be under the guidance of assistant coach Andy Spence, as stated by the COC.
"Over the past 24 hours, additional information has come to our attention regarding previous drone use against opponents, predating the Paris 2024 Olympic Games," Canada Soccer CEO & General Secretary, Kevin Blue, said in an emailed statement, as reported by Reuters.
"In light of these new revelations, Canada Soccer has made the decision to suspend Women's National Team Head Coach, Bev Priestman, for the remainder of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and until the completion of our recently announced independent external review."
Canada secured a 2-1 victory against New Zealand in their first match of the Paris Games on Thursday. However, the game was overshadowed by the spying incident. Priestman chose not to attend the match following the revelations earlier in the week.
The incident occurred on Monday when a Canada Soccer staff member flew a drone over a New Zealand training session, causing a disruption just days before the two teams were set to face each other.
In response to the incident, Priestman expressed her regret to the New Zealand team for the actions of the staff member. She acknowledged that, as the head coach, she bore the ultimate responsibility for what had transpired.
"This does not represent the values that our team stands for. I am ultimately responsible for conduct in our program."
FIFA, the international governing body for football, has initiated disciplinary actions against Canada Soccer, head coach Priestman, and two staff members who were expelled from the ongoing tournament in Paris.
In response to the incident, Canada Soccer announced on Wednesday their intention to conduct an independent external investigation. The review will focus on the drone occurrence and examine the historical culture of competitive ethics across all of its programs.
The Canadian women's team is set to face France in Group A on Sunday in Saint-Etienne.