New Zealand Football CEO Andrew Pragnell has called on FIFA to take immediate action regarding a spying scandal involving Canada’s Olympic champion women’s team at the Paris Games, warning that failure to do so could undermine the sporting integrity of the entire tournament.
Canada’s women’s coach Bev Priestman withdrew from her opening match duties, while an assistant coach and a team analyst were expelled from the Games on Wednesday following allegations of drone use to spy on New Zealand’s practice sessions.
Canada, who won their first Olympic title three years ago in Tokyo, are set to face New Zealand in their opening Group A match in Paris on Thursday.
Canada Soccer has announced an independent review into the incident, while FIFA has initiated disciplinary proceedings.
“There is no place for this type of action in football and it is critical that urgent action is undertaken to address this integrity breach,” Pragnell stated on Thursday.
“To hear now that the Canadian team had filmed secret footage of our team training at least twice is incredibly concerning and if not treated urgently could have wider implications for the integrity of the tournament.”
David Shoemaker, CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee, expressed confidence that Priestman had no knowledge of the spying incident. He added that should any evidence surface implicating her, further sanctions would be imposed.
