Bev Priestman ‘highly likely’ to have been aware of spy drone COC chief says

Priestman was sent home from Paris after drones were use to spy on Canada’s Olympics opponents.

Canada head coach Bev Priestman has been suspended for the remainder of the Olympics (Nick Potts/PA) (PA Archive)

Canadian Olympic Committee chief David Shoemaker says his organisation now believes suspended women’s football head coach Bev Priestman was “highly likely” to have been aware of two alleged incidents involving drones being used to spy on her side’s Olympic opposition.

Shoemaker also revealed there “appears to be information that could tarnish” Canada’s gold medal-winning turn at the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Earlier on Friday, Canada Soccer announced Durham-born Priestman had been sent home from Paris after “additional information” came to their attention regarding previous drone use that took place prior to the Olympics, where it has been claimed an unaccredited analyst used one to snoop on Group A rivals New Zealand.

Addressing a press conference at Canada Olympic House, Shoemaker said: “One of the key pieces of information was the conclusion from Canada Soccer that she needed to be suspended based on their accumulation of facts.

“I’ve seen some of the information they have, and we gathered some additional information ourselves.

“That made me conclude that she was highly likely to have been aware of the incidents here in St Etienne.”

On Wednesday, assistant coach Jasmine Mander and Joseph Lombardi, an unaccredited analyst with Canada Soccer, were sent home in connection with what the COC believed to be two separate incidents of a drone being used to record Football Ferns training sessions.

FIFA later confirmed that they had opened disciplinary proceedings against Canada Soccer, Priestman, Lombardi and Mander, while Canada Soccer have opened their own independent investigation and have said Priestman will remain suspended until its conclusion.

Shoemaker says he currently feels comfortable keeping the footballers in the Olympic tournament after dishing out the “ultimate sanction” possible to the three staff.

When the alleged St Etienne incidents first came to light, Shoemaker shared, based on he evidence at hand, that it appeared unlikely that Priestman was aware.

He also posited that similar behaviour was unlikely to have been carried out under strict Covid-19 restrictions in Tokyo, where Canada beat Sweden on penalties to claim their first major title.

Based on what he has now learned, Shoemaker revealed: “Yes, there now appears to be information that could tarnish that Olympic performance in Tokyo.

“It makes me ill, it makes me sick to my stomach to think that there could be something that calls it into question.”

Priestman, the former assistant coach under England boss Phil Neville, issued a statement on Wednesday apologising for the alleged incidents.

She also voluntarily withdrew from coaching Canada’s opening match against New Zealand on Thursday, which they won 2-1 under assistant coach Andy Spence.