Gavin Cooney reports from Paris

CANADIAN SOCCER CEO Kevin Blue admits Canada may have used a drone to spy on Ireland ahead of their meeting at the women’s World Cup in Australia last year. 

Canada sent two coaches home from the Olympic Games on Wednesday after it emerged that they used a drone to capture footage from a New Zealand training session, ahead of the teams’ group stage match on Thursday. Coach Bev Priestman voluntarily stepped aside on Wednesday, though initially intended to take charge of Canada’s remaining games at the tournament. 

Priestman, however, has now been suspended and sent home from Paris, with the Canadian Olympic Committee saying “additional information” came to their attention regarding previous drone use that took place prior to Paris 2024.

That followed the publication of a bombshell report by Canadian outlet TSN, claiming that spying via drones has been rife among Canada soccer for a number of years, including during the previous Olympic Games in Tokyo and during qualifying for the women’s World Cup. 

Canadian Soccer have commissioned an independent review to assess the full extent of the practice over recent years. 

Canada defeated Ireland 2-1 in the group stage of the women’s World Cup a year ago today, coming from behind after Katie McCabe scored an early goal directly from a corner. The result condemned Ireland to an early exit, while Canada were also knocked out in the group phase. 

Kevin Blue, the CEO of Canadian Soccer, has admitted it’s a “possibility” that Canada used drone footage to spy on Irish training ahead of the World Cup clash. 

“I don’t know the answer to that definitively”, Blue told The 42 in Paris, ahead of the Games’ opening ceremony. 

“This is the reason we are looking at this issue holistically through our independent review.

“To the extent the reporting in that TSN story is accurate, it certainly is a possibility. I am not interpeting everything that’s reported in the press as fact on this issue, until we can substantiate it through the formal review process that will take place.

“Certainly what was reported, if accurate, is an alarming indication of a significant problem. It is our responsibility to pursue what’s reported in there along with other information to substantiate specifically what happened.” 

Fifa have opened an investigation into the allegations, though CEO Blue requested that the Canadian players not be punished with a points deduction at the Olympic Games. 

Canada beat New Zealand 2-1 in their opening match, and will next face hosts France  on Sunday.