Bev Priestman The Canadian women’s soccer team apologized on Sunday to its players and its country for the drone espionage scandal in New Zealand that led to its withdrawal from the Paris Olympic Games and a one-year suspension by FIFA. An ‘affair’ that dealt a crushing blow to the team’s hopes of repeating the gold medal at the 2020 Games by sanctioning six points.
In his first public statement since the Canadian Soccer Federation suspended him from the Gamespriest He said that, as a team leader. who is defending Olympic gold in Paris, accepts responsibility and plans to fully cooperate with the investigation.
“I’m sorry from the bottom of my heart”
“I am saddened for the players and I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart for the impact this situation has had on all of them,” he said. Priestman, born in England, in a statement published by his lawyers.
“To Canada, I’m sorry. You’ve been my home and a country I’ve loved. I hope you’ll continue to support these brilliant and hardworking players, to help them face all the challenges and show their true selves.”
A few hours earlier, the Canadian sports authorities reported the withholding of funds intended for the salaries of priest and two other officials were suspended from the team and called the drone scandal that rocked the Olympic soccer tournament in Paris an embarrassment for all Canadians.
In addition to prieston Saturday FIFA disqualified his assistant for one year Jasmine Mander and the technical analyst Joseph Lombardi who operated a drone that spied on the New Zealand team, Canada’s first rivals at the Paris Games, during practice.
The sports minister, strong
“Using a drone to monitor another team during a closed-door practice is cheating,” Canada’s sports minister said. Carla Qualtrough, it is a statement. “It’s completely unfair to Canadian players and opposing teams. It undermines the integrity of the game itself.”
“While the Women’s Program receives funding from Sport Canada, we are withholding funds related to suspended officials for the duration of their FIFA sanction.”
“There is a deeply troubling pattern of behavior among the Canadian team,” the statement added. “We need to, and will, make this clear. This issue has caused a great distraction and embarrassment for Team Canada and all Canadians here in Paris and at home.”
The Canadian Federation is studying the possibility of appealing the six-point penalty imposed by FIFA that left their team three points below Group A with two games remaining. After defeating New Zealand on the first day 2-1, tonight they will face the hosts France.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
