The women’s Olympic football team Canada was sanctioned by the FIFA on Saturday with the loss of six points, which seriously compromises their chances of defending the title in the Paris Games.
The Canadian federation “was found responsible for failing to comply with applicable FIFA rules in relation to (…) the prohibition of flying drones over any training venue,” FIFA said in a statement.
The punishment, which can be appealed, is related to the use of a drone to film a training session of New Zealand, which they beat 2-1 on Thursday in the opening match of Group A.
The Canadian federation had removed the coach, British Bev Priestman, and sent her assistant Jasmine Mander and video analyst Joey Lombardi back to the country over the case.
All three were banned from football-related activities for one year, the governing body added.
Apart from leaving the Canucks in a bad position (-3 points) with two games left until the end of the group stage, the sanction in principle makes the path to the podium easier for other teams, such as Aitana Bonmatí’s Spain or Marta’s Brazil.
The North Americans will play the penultimate date of their group on Sunday in Saint-Étienne, where they will face the host France, who beat Linda Caicedo’s Colombia (3-2) in their opening match.
Despite the punishment, the Canadians have a chance of advancing to the quarterfinals, as the women’s Olympic tournament allows for the qualification of two of the best third-placed teams, as well as the two best-placed teams from each group.
Source: Gestion
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