FIFA Deducts 6 Points, Bans Canadian Head Coach For One Year 

Fédération Internationale de Football Association, FIFA, has announced the deduction of Six points from the Canada Olympic women football team.

The Canadian coach, Bev Priestman was also banned for one year. The sanction by FIFA is that the Canadian football team used a drone to spy on a rival team’s training sessions.

Fifa announced the sanctions – which include a £175,720 fine for the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) – a day after English-born Priestman was removed as Canada’s Olympic head coach.

CSA officials Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander have also been suspended by Fifa for a year.

Football’s governing body Fifa said the use of the drone by Canada’s team was in “violation” of its principles.

“The officials were each found responsible for offensive behaviour and violation of the principles of fair play in connection with the CSA’s Women’s representative team’s drones usage in the scope of the Olympic football tournament,” said a Fifa statement.

Priestman “voluntarily” withdrew from her coaching duties for Canada’s opening game against the Kiwis after the New Zealand Olympic Committee reported a drone was flown over their training session on Monday.

Fifa and the CSA launched investigations and the latter said the 38-year-old was “highly likely” to have been aware of the incident.

The CSA can appeal against the decision before the Court of Arbitration for Sport and in a statement reacting to the sanctions, its chief executive Kevin Blue and Canadian Olympic Committee chief executive David Shoemaker both said an appeal was under consideration.