Sport court dismisses Canada’s Women’s soccer appeal in drone case

Canada’s women’s soccer team is stuck with their six-point penalty after the team’s appeal was dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The penalty comes after a staff member with the Canadian team was caught using a drone to spy on practices by the New Zealand team ahead of their match at the 2024 Paris Olympics. In addition to the point deduction, Canada Soccer was hit with a six-figure fine of roughly $313,000, and three coaches were handed one-year suspensions. The scandal also led the federal government to withhold some funding from Canada Soccer.

According to The Canadian Press, the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canada Soccer jointly asked for a reduction in the penalty, saying it punishes the players when there is no evidence directly connecting them to the spying.

Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue said the penalty was “excessively punitive towards our women’s national team players, who were not involved in any unethical behaviour.”

Canada beat New Zealand 2-1 in their match.

Because of the penalty points, Canada must remain undefeated by beating the Colombian team today to advance in the Olympic tournament.

–with files from The Canadian Press