Canada’s appeal to overturn a six-point deduction in the Olympic women’s soccer tournament due to a drone-spying scandal has been denied by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The ruling, confirmed by FIFA, came after two Canadian assistant coaches used drones to spy on New Zealand’s practices before a match.
The decision was made just hours before Canada was set to play Colombia in their final Group A game, where the defending Olympic champions were sitting in third place with zero points despite winning their previous matches against New Zealand and France. However, with a win against Colombia, Canada could still secure a spot in the quarterfinals by moving up to first or second place in the group.
Head coach Bev Priestman and her two assistants received one-year bans from FIFA and were removed from the Olympics by Canadian officials. These bans were separate from the appeal process and were not considered in the urgent hearing held at the CAS Olympic court in Paris.
Despite the absence of their suspended coaches, the Canadian team managed to defeat New Zealand 2-1 and shock the host nation France with a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory, scoring in the 12th minute of stoppage time. The six-point deduction imposed on Canada for breaking FIFA rules during the tournament is an unprecedented penalty in modern soccer.
This incident mirrors a similar case with Ecuador, currently facing a three-point deduction in the men’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers due to fielding an ineligible player in the team’s 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign. Both sanctions were imposed by CAS judges, highlighting the strict enforcement of regulations in international soccer events.
