Canadian women's team deducted 6 points, coach receives 1-year ban

The Olympic Organizing Committee has approved FIFA's decision to deduct 6 points from Canada in Group A of the women's football event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Canada beat New Zealand in their opening match, but are now -3 points after the penalty. The North American representative is in danger of being eliminated early in the group stage. Canada needs to beat France today, July 28, and Colombia on July 31 to keep their hopes of advancing alive.

This is the result of a scandal that took place on July 22, when the New Zealand coaching staff accused Canada of using drones to spy on the team's training session.

In addition to the points deduction, Canada also suffered a major loss when head coach Bev Priestman was not allowed to participate in any soccer-related activities for 12 months.

This means that Ms. Priestman will immediately leave the coaching position of the Canadian women's team.

Priestman's two assistants, analyst Joseph Lombardi and assistant coach Jasmine Mander, were also suspended for one year.

According to ESPN,Assistant Andy Spence will become interim coach to lead the Canadian team for the rest of the Olympics.

The Canadian Soccer Federation was fined $226,000 for violating a ban on drone use at training sites.

Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) CEO David Shoemaker is likely to appeal the unprecedented six-point penalty at an international tournament to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Canada is the owner of the 2021 Tokyo Olympic women's soccer gold medal. Canada will qualify if they win both matches against France and Colombia.

However, the consecutive shocks could directly affect the performance of the Canadian girls. Ms. Bev Priestman led Canada to the 2021 Olympic gold medal, just 1 year after taking over as head coach of the team.

If the COC's appeal is unsuccessful, Andy Spence will continue to coach the Canadian women's team for the remainder of the tournament.