Priestman 'heartbroken' for players, apologizes to Canada amid drone scandal

Canada's women's head coach Bev Priestman apologized for her role in the drone spying scandal that's rocked the national squad and caused headaches and humiliation for the country's soccer federation and Olympic team at the Paris Games.

Priestman, suspended by Canada Soccer and sent home by the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) following the team's opening match in France, was subsequently banned for one year by FIFA. The women's team was also docked six points by soccer's governing body in an enormous blow to its hopes of defending its gold medal from Tokyo.

"I am absolutely heartbroken for the players, and I would like to apologize from the bottom of my heart for the impact this situation has had on all of them," Priestman, making her first public comment since her suspension was levied, said Sunday in a statement issued through her legal representatives, via CTV News' Cristina Tenaglia.

She added: "I know how hard they have worked following a very difficult year in 2023 and that they are a group of people who care very much about sportsmanship and integrity. As the leader of the team on the field, I want to take accountability, and I plan to fully cooperate with the investigation.

"To Canada, I am sorry. You have been my home and a country I have fallen in love with. I hope you will continue to support these extremely talented and hardworking players, to help them defy all odds and show their true character."

The 38-year-old also said that the team's historic triumph in Tokyo "was earned through sheer grit and determination, despite reports to the contrary."

Asked after Canada's comeback win over France on Sunday if she accepts Priestman's apology, goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan said it's a "really tough thing to do" right now.

"Ultimately, she's a human being, and people make mistakes. I think later down the road we'll be in a place where we can accept that. But right now, we're staying in our bubble. We're not allowing anything in," Sheridan said, according to Emily Kaplan of ESPN. "I think it's really important. It's proving to work so far. We're going to ride it as long as we can, and we're going to prove some people wrong."

The spying scandal erupted when an analyst was caught using a drone to film New Zealand's closed training sessions before the teams met in their Olympic opener. The analyst, Joseph Lombardi, was sent home from the Paris Games along with assistant coach Jasmine Mander.

Since the initial incident, several scathing reports have suggested that using drones to spy on opponents has been a longstanding tactic utilized by both the Canadian men's and women's national teams dating back several years and spanning various competitions.

Canadian officials, who said they were exploring a possible appeal of FIFA's six-point penalty that applies to the ongoing Olympic tournament, have described the spying as a "systemic ethical shortcoming" within the program.

Sports minister Carla Qualtrough said Sunday that the Canadian government is withholding some of Canada Soccer's funding as it directly relates to the salaries of Priestman, Mander, and Lombardi.