Canada men’s football team dragged into drone spying row but Jesse Marsch keeps distance

Jesse Marsch’s Canada men’s squad were dragged into the drone spying scandal at the Olympics after the women’s team manager was stood down over espionage claims.

 

 

Kevin Blue, the Canada Soccer chief executive, confirmed he had received “anecdotal feedback” of drone use at the Copa America but Marsch, the former Leeds United manager, had been unaware it had been used.

Canada’s camp was thrown into disarray this week after two team members were sent home for allegedly using a drone to spy on a New Zealand training camp. Bev Priestman, the English manager in charge of the women’s team, has been stood down from the Games while investigations take place.

On Friday, however, Blue confirmed claims now extend to the men’s team. “I am aware of an instance of attempted drone usage at the Copa America,” Blue said. “I have spoken with our current head coach about the incident after it occurred and I know he denounced it as a practice to his staff.”

Unlike Marsch, who appears to be unaware of the potential use of a drone last month, Priestman, 38, was judged as “highly likely” to have been aware of the incident at the Olympics, leading to her suspension by Canada Soccer.

British coach Priestman denied any involvement, but did not attend Thursday’s 2-1 victory over New Zealand as Fifa and the International Olympic Committee investigate.

Canadian media report that both of the country’s senior teams – men’s and women’s – have relied on drones for years. Blue said in a release that “additional information has come to our attention regarding previous drone use against opponents, predating the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”

He added Priestman was suspended from her duties until the end of the tournament and the completion of the organisation’s independent external review. Assistant coach Andy Spence will lead the defending gold medallists for the remainder of the tournament.

The Canadian Olympic Committee said on Wednesday that assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi were “sent home immediately,” and that it had accepted Priestman’s decision to remove herself from coaching the opening match.

Priestman spoke on Wednesday after training and said: “My reaction was you feel like this program has let the country down. That’s why I took the proactive step to do what I felt was the right thing. Irrespective of the details, I’m ultimately accountable.”

She had agreed to a contract in late January to coach Canada through the 2027 Women’s World Cup. She was hired in November 2020 to succeed Kenneth Heiner-Møller and had been working on a rolling contract. She led Canada to a gold medal at the Olympics in 2021, but was eliminated in the group stage of last year’s World Cup. She has coached the team to 28 wins, nine losses and 10 draws.