Tag: Canada Soccer

7 brazen Summer Olympics cheating scandals beyond the Canada Soccer drone controversy

Canada’s soccer scandal is just the latest in a long history of Olympic cheaters.

Oh, Canada. What have you done?

The Paris Olympics hadn’t even held its opening ceremony by the time the 2024 Summer Games found itself embroiled in a massive cheating scandal.

On July 23, the Canadian women’s soccer team was caught allegedly using drones to spy on their opponents‘ closed-door training sessions. What was first explained as an isolated incident with a “non-accredited” staffer gone rogue has since unraveled, exposing an alleged years-long surveillance program run by both the Canadian men’s and women’s that calls into question the women’s gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics among other accolades.

Canada has A LOT of explaining to do and quickly at that. The only solace the country’s soccer program can take at the moment is that its far from the only country to try cheating at the Olympics.

In fact, there’s quite a long history of Summer Games scandals. Let’s remember some of the more absurd cheaters in the modern Olympics.

1932 Los Angeles: Bertil Sandström’s clicking costs him silver in dressage

Did you know you can’t click at your horse during dressage?

Bertil Sandström should’ve known. He won silver in individual dressage in 1920 and 1924 and was about to claim another in 1932 when he was dropped down to last place for “giving clicking noise signals to his horse.”

Tsk. Tsk.

1976 Montreal Olympics: Boris Onischenko’s épée 

Soviet athlete Boris Onischenko puts on his socks after he was disqualified because he had manipulated his sword in the fencing event, on July 19, 1976 during the Summer Olympic Games, in Montreal. (AFP via Getty Images)

The Soviet Union’s Boris Onischenko was modern pentathlon superstar, having won gold medals at the1972 Munich Olympics as well as gold at the World Championships in 1969, 1971 and 1974.

By 1976  he was banned by the IOC for life after installing an electric device in his fencing sword that registered a point in his favor without actually making contact with his opponent.

1988 Seoul Olympics: Ben Johnson DQ’d after world record 100m sprint

24 Sep 1988: Ben Johnson of Canada takes the lead in the 100 Metres semi final at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea (Steve Powell/Allsport)

Canada Soccer’s scandal isn’t the first time the country has been embroiled in Olympic controversy as anyone who watched the 1988 Games in Seoul remembers Ben Johnson setting a world record 9.79 time in the 100 meter sprint, only to test positive for a banned steroid after winning the gold medal.

That part of the story has always overshadowed the fact that six (!!!) of the eight finalists in the 100m later tested positive or were implicated in their own doping scandals.

1988 Seoul Olympics: 3 Boxing judges suspended after Roy Jones Jr. bizarre loss

Don’t let Ben Johnson make you forget about the other cheating scandal in the 1988 Games.

American boxer Roy Jones Jr. — a teenager at the time! — was robbed of a gold medal victory against South Korean boxer Park Si-Hun despite landing 86 punches to Park’s 32.

Per the Associated Press:

The International Olympic Committee in 1997 concluded it had found no evidence to support bribery allegations against the judges who voted in favor of Park in the Seoul Games. The U.S. Olympic Committee had called for an investigation in 1996 after documents belonging to East Germany’s Stasi secret police revealed reports of judges being paid to vote for South Korean boxers.

Watch the fight and decide for yourself who won:

https://www.facebook.com/rosstraining/videos/1988-olympics-roy-jones-jr-vspark-si-hun-full-fight/1132540183833919/

 

2000 Sydney Olympics: Marion Jones heads to jail

Syndication: USA TODAY

If Ben Johnson’s 9.79* is the most famous case of track and field doping at the Olympics, Marion Jones’ scandal is an extremely close second.

The American superstar was stripped of five medals seven years after the 2000 Sydney Games and served a six month prison sentence after getting caught up in the BALCO scandal that ripped through Major League Baseball.

2000 Sydney Olympics: What’s Dong Fangxiao’s age again?

24 Sep 2000: Fangxiao Dong of China competes in the Final of the Womens Vault at the Sydney Superdome on Day Nine of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. (Jed Jacobsohn /Allsport)

The world of artistic gymnastics was in awe of Dong Fangxiao in 2000, as the Chinese star captured the bronze medal. Unfortunately, at 14 years old, she was actually competing two years under age and forced to return her medal after being discovered. 

Honestly, they probably should’ve at least bumped her up to a silver for defeating so many of the world’s best above her class.

2012 London: Top Badminton teams throw games

When is strategy considered cheating? Badminton doubles teams from South Korea. China and Indonesia found out during the London Games when they were disqualified from the tournament for losing matches to give themselves a more favorable path through the knockout rounds.

Not really in the spirit of competition. Say what you want about the other cheaters on this list, they were still trying to win every time they went out.

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Canada Soccer CEO: Marsch unaware of spy attempt at Copa America

The scandal surrounding Canadian soccer only seems to be expanding

Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue has said there was an attempt at drone spying at the 2024 Copa América, but insisted that men’s national team head coach Jesse Marsch was only aware of it after the fact.

The federation has become embroiled in an expanding scandal over its use of drones to illegally spy on opponents.

On Thursday, women’s national team head coach Bev Priestman was sent home from the Olympics after two of her staffers were caught using drones to spy on New Zealand’s training on multiple occasions.

That was followed by a bombshell report from TSN claiming that Canada’s women’s and men’s national teams have routinely been spying on opponents for years.

In a call with media on Friday, Blue — who has only been in his position since February — admitted that the issue of spying appeared to be widespread among Canada Soccer.

“The more I learn about this specific matter, the more concerned I get about a potential long-term, deeply embedded systemic culture of this type of thing occurring, which is obviously completely unacceptable,” Blue said.

Blue said that the issue took place as recently as the 2024 Copa América, a tournament at which Canada had an encouraging fourth-place finish under new head coach Marsch.

“I’m aware of an instance of attempted drone usage during Copa América,” Blue said. “My current understanding is that the fact pattern of that instance is significantly different than what occurred here [at the Olympics], especially as it relates to the potential impact on competitive integrity.”

Blue added that Marsch only learned about the spying attempts after the fact.

“He explained to me that he denounced it immediately and forcefully, and has communicated that to his staff, both the existing staff and staff that were from previous coaching staffs that are still with us,” Blue said.

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Canada’s men’s and women’s soccer teams have reportedly been using spying drones for years

Canada soccer is reportedly in even more hot water after the New Zealand drone incident revealed years of spying.

The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris haven’t even had an opening ceremony yet, and we’re already dealing with a potential cheating scandal.

According to a report from New Zealand media, the New Zealand women’s national soccer team caught Canada using a drone to spy on the squad’s Monday practice session in Saint-Etienne — the site of Thursday’s Group A match between the two sides.

French police have been stationed at the various practice facilities to be on the look out for drones during team sessions and spotted the drone during the Football Ferns’ session. With this Canada-New Zealand incident, a member of the Team Canada support staff was detained by police.

New Zealand made a formal complaint to the IOC integrity unit. And Canada didn’t deny the accusation, blaming a “non-accredited” staffer for going rogue with the drone. The Canadian Olympic Committee also issued an apology in its statement.

Canada — the No. 8 ranked team by FIFA — would have been considered heavy favorites against 28th-ranked New Zealand. But we’ll have to see what sanctions — if any — are taken against Canada as group play opens.

Update: The Canada Olympic Committee reviewed the incident and uncovered that another drone was used to spy on New Zealand’s July 19 practice session.

Team Canada sent home two staff members, and Canada women’s soccer head coach Bev Priestman will sit out Thursday’s match. She issued a statement:

“On behalf of our entire team, I first and foremost want to apologize to the players and staff at New Zealand Football and to the players on Team Canada. This does not represent the values that our team stands for,” Priestman said. “I am ultimately responsible for conduct in our program. Accordingly, to emphasize our team’s commitment to integrity, I have decided to voluntarily withdraw from coaching the match on Thursday. In the spirit of accountability, I do this with the interests of both teams in mind and to ensure everyone feels that the sportsmanship of this game is upheld.”

Update: According to a new report from TSN’s Rick Westhead, Canada’s men’s and women’s soccer teams have been using drones to spy on opposing programs for years, including during the women’s gold medal run at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

As the fallout from the New Zealand drone saga continues, Canada’s women’s head coach Beverly Priestman has also been suspended from the 2024 Paris Olympics.

If this new report is anything to go by, it’s clear Canadian soccer is set to face even more ramifications, especially if their gold medal in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics is in doubt.

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Canada sends Priestman home from Olympics as spy scandal expands

The scandal is more widespread than it initially appeared

The Canadian Olympic Committee has sent women’s soccer head coach Bev Priestman home from the Olympics amid an expanding scandal involving spying on opponents with drones.

This week, the New Zealand Olympic committee publicly accused Canada of using a drone to spy on a training session on July 22.

In response, Canada apologized and announced that two staffers had been sent home for their role in the spying. Priestman, meanwhile, volunteered to not coach her team’s Olympic opener against New Zealand, which Canada won 2-1 on Thursday.

But hours after that match, the scandal took a major turn as Priestman was sent home from the Olympics — but not just for her staff’s admitted spying on New Zealand.

As Canada Soccer general secretary Kevin Blue said in a statement announcing a suspension of Priestman, there were more instances of spying that had been uncovered by the federation.

“Over the past 24 hours, additional information has come to our attention regarding previous drone use against opponents, predating the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” the statement read.

“In light of these new revelations, Canada Soccer has made the decision to suspend women’s national team head coach, Bev Priestman for the remainder of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and until the completion of our recently announced independent external review.”

Just minutes before Canada Soccer’s statement was released, a bombshell report from TSN said that Canada’s women’s and men’s national teams have routinely been spying on opponents for years.

The spying reportedly included Canada’s gold medal-winning women’s team from the 2021 Olympics.

“Most people see this as cheating, which it is,” a source said to TSN. “Some of our coaches just see it as a competitive advantage and justify it by saying everyone does it, which is also not true. Not everyone cheats and neither should we.”

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How to buy Argentina vs. Canada Copa América semifinal tickets

Tickets for Tuesday’s Copa América semifinal at MetLife Stadium between Argentina and Canada are still available for as little as $243.

The first Copa América semifinal is set, and it’s shaping up to be a David vs. Goliath type of matchup.

It’s no surprise to soccer fans that Lionel Messi and Argentina are into the semifinals of the 2024 Copa América. The top ranked team in the world and defending World Cup champions rolled through the group stage, but needed penalty kicks to defeat Ecuador and advance to the semifinals.

Unlike Argentina, very few people expected Canada to advance out of the group stage, let alone make it all the way to the semifinals.

Canada defeated Venezuela on Friday evening in a thrilling back and forth matchup that required penalty kicks to decide a winner and send the No. 48 ranked team in the world onto the semifinals.

Argentina and Canada will do battle just outside of New York City on Tuesday, July 9 at 7:30 p.m.

SHOP: Argentina vs. Canada Copa América semifinal tickets

Argentina vs. Canada Copa América tickets

Limited tickets still remain for Tuesday evening’s semifinal.

The cheapest available tickets are $243, while the cheapest lower bowl tickets are only $345.

The most expensive semifinal ticket will run you $8,325 and get you a front-row seat.

Argentina vs. Canada game info

Don’t miss out on what’s sure to be a great Copa América semifinal matchup.

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Sinclair: Canada crashing out of World Cup ‘a wake-up call to our federation’

“If this isn’t a warning sign, I don’t know what it is”

Canada captain Christine Sinclair has said her team’s surprise early exit from the World Cup should serve as a “wake-up call” to Canada Soccer, amid a year of fierce conflict between the federation and the women’s national team.

Australia hammered Canada 4-0 at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on Monday, vaulting the host nation to a first-place finish in Group B, with Nigeria earning second place after drawing Ireland 0-0.

Those results left Canada, the defending Olympic champions, in third place on four points and heading home early.

The early exit comes amid a difficult year that has seen Canada’s women’s and men’s national teams in open conflict with their federation over alleged financial mismanagement and a lack of transparency, among other issues.

The Canadian government has taken up an interest in the situation, holding public hearings earlier this year after Canada’s women’s team moved to strike during February’s SheBelieves Cup.

Canada’s women’s national team has charged that they were not adequately prepared for the 2023 World Cup, with a lack of funds shortening the pre-tournament training camp.

“We have been forced to choose between compensation and the funding required to hold necessary training camps,” a statement from the women’s national team players read upon agreement of an interim compensation deal last week.

Speaking to reporters after her team crashed out of the World Cup, Sinclair said that although the result was on the players, it should nevertheless serve as a call to action for Canada Soccer.

“As a team, we’ve moved on from the SheBelieves [Cup] and obviously the battles with the federation, but I think what you’re seeing in women’s football is teams are catching up,” the 40-year-old said. “This for me is a wake-up call for back home, a wake-up call to our federation: the lack of a professional league, the lack of resources for the national teams, a lack of resources for the youth national teams, similar to the men’s side.

“If the resources aren’t there, we’re going to fall behind. I think if this isn’t a warning sign, I don’t know what is.”

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Nearing bankruptcy, Canada Soccer may have to skip national team games

The financial crisis at Canada’s federation is worsening

Canada Soccer’s interim general secretary Jason deVos has painted a grim picture of the federation’s finances, saying it is considering bankruptcy and may have to skip fall matches for the men’s and women’s national team.

The federation has struggled with financial issues for years, which was highlighted earlier this year when Canada’s women’s national team moved to strike during February’s SheBelieves Cup over cuts to funding.

Both the women’s and men’s national team have publicly complained about the federation’s finances, accusing Canada Soccer of a lack of transparency as both teams continue to play without a collective bargaining agreement.

The Canadian government has taken up an interest in the situation, holding public hearings earlier this year.

Speaking to TSN, deVos admitted that the next step for Canada Soccer could well be filing for bankruptcy.

“We are in a real struggle. It’s not imminent, but we need to explore what bankruptcy entails and how it might affect our organization,” said deVos. “We don’t have enough revenue coming in for the programs that need to be run, and that includes everything from grassroots coach education and referee development to youth national teams and our senior men’s and women’s teams.”

After his side lost to the United States in last weekend’s CONCACAF Nations League final, Canada men’s head coach John Herdman had some scathing criticism for his own federation, charging that it is “not serious” about winning a World Cup ahead of serving as the co-host for the 2026 tournament.

Herdman said that due to a lack of resources, he was unable to hold a training camp long enough to fully prepare his team for both the semifinal against Panama and the final against the USMNT.

But it appears things could get even worse. Rather than a shortened camp, deVos admitted that Canada’s men’s and women’s national teams may have to skip two fall FIFA windows altogether.

“The challenge is there isn’t enough budget to be able to make September and October happen at this moment,” deVos said. “What we need is to play against tier-one opponents in games that move the needle. At this point, trying to find games against top teams in September and October is challenging.”

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Herdman calls out Canada Soccer: ‘We’re not serious about winning a World Cup’

The coach is fed up with his federation’s lack of investment

Canada men’s national team head coach John Herdman has called out Canada Soccer for its lack of investment, saying the federation is “not serious” about winning a World Cup.

Herdman’s side fell 2-0 to the United States in Sunday’s CONCACAF Nations League final, failing to win its first trophy since 2000.

Part of the reason for Canada’s loss, in Herdman’s eyes, was an inadequate amount of time spent preparing for the game. In contrast to the USMNT, Herdman said his side was only given the funds for four days of preparation — three of which were spent on semifinal opponent Panama.

“There’s no time,” Herdman said at his post-game press conference. “We need the resources where we can actually put a camp together, where I can work for six days on the things that will make the biggest difference moving forward.”

“You could see the preparation the U.S. have had, those set pieces made a big difference. Those extra five, six, seven days they had makes a difference.”

Canada Soccer’s financial troubles have been well documented. The Olympic champion women’s team moved to strike during February’s SheBelieves Cup over cuts to funding, only to be forced onto the field after being threatened with a lawsuit by its own federation.

Amid the turmoil, Canada Soccer president Nick Bontis was forced out and replaced on an interim basis by Charmaine Crooks.

But the federation’s financial problems are still very much an issue. Herdman challenged Canada Soccer to do more ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which it will co-host.

“I think it’s not a secret the organization has been suffering financially even through the [2022] World Cup qualification. You had coaches raising money to make sure we’ve got charter flights, security on those charter flights.

“We’ve got the best generation of players we’ve had. And there’s more coming, you can see it. [Ismaël] Koné just dropped out the sky. Tajon Buchanan just dropped out the sky, Alistair Johnson, like it’s coming,” he said.

“We’ve got to figure this out financially. We’ve got to get serious about winning a World Cup. When you play at home, you get a chance to win it. You get a chance to get to a quarterfinal, a semifinal, and then get on that roll to win it. And we’re not serious,” the coach added.

“We brought a World Cup to our country and we’re not serious about winning it.”

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Canada players tell parliament that federation treats them ‘as an afterthought’

“We need to rebuild the trust with the association… they’ve broken that trust.”

The Canada women’s national team’s battle with their federation has now reached the halls of the country’s government.

Addressing a Thursday hearing held by the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, four representatives of the national team’s players’ association — Janine Beckie, Quinn, Sophie Schmidt, and Christine Sinclair — detailed the nature of their ongoing dispute with Canada Soccer.

“Canada Soccer treats the women’s game as an afterthought,” said Schmidt, who previously said that she had to be talked out of retiring from the national team over the strife between the federation and players. “It has failed to put in place any structure, resources or plan for the development and future success of the women’s game in this country.”

Canada’s players moved to strike during February’s SheBelieves Cup over cuts to funding and an ongoing collective bargaining agreement, only to end up having to play due to Canadian labor law. Canada’s players will be in a legal position to strike in April’s FIFA window, and as of last month said they would do so if their demands were not met.

The fallout, which included Canada Soccer threatening to sue the players at one point, has seen federation president Nick Bontis resign. Sinclair, the team’s captain and the most prolific goalscorer in international soccer history, noted that Canada Soccer’s interim president Charmaine Crooks has not yet reached out to players.

Quinn added that Crooks is not someone the players believe they can work with, calling her a member of the “old guard” at Canada Soccer.

On Thursday, shortly before the players offered their testimony — and to the chagrin of the players’ association representatives — Canada Soccer released details of their most recent CBA proposal.

“It is time to get a deal done,” said federation general secretary Earl Cochrane in Canada Soccer’s press release. “We’ve been negotiating in good faith and want to get to a resolution with our national teams. In order to get there, we need both of our national teams to agree. Our women deserve to be paid equally and they deserve the financial certainty going into the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.”

For the players, the negotiations might be difficult given the tattered relationship between them and the federation.

“We need to rebuild the trust with the association,” said Beckie. “Multiple times, they’ve broken that trust. The number one thing we’ve asked for is transparency.”

Sinclair offered a particularly galling anecdote, detailing a meeting in which Bontis openly dismissed her during a meeting between Canada Soccer officials and the players’ association.

“I was tasked with outlining our compensation ask on behalf of the [women’s national team],” said Sinclair. “[Bontis] listened to what I had to say and then later in the meeting referred back to it as, quote, ‘what was it Christine was b— about?’”

Beckie added that this trip to testify was her first visit to Canada since April 2022, with Canada Soccer not holding training camps in the country or building a training facility. “There are only one or two playable grass pitches in the country,” Beckie said. “Having a national training center is a dream of ours.”

Quinn detailed that Canada’s smaller squad sizes have resulted in support staff having to step into 11-vs-11 scrimmages. Per the OL Reign midfielder, that means those staffers have an additional task on their plate distracting from their job, while the team has training games featuring people who are not on the same level as national team soccer players.

Sinclair emphasized that the players are not simply looking for higher wages, but that salary is part of an equation that would represent equal treatment.

“Pay equity is actually like just a little piece of the puzzle. It’s about equal treatment,” explained Sinclair. “It’s about equal opportunities, equal resources, and honestly, until that happens? Yeah, we’re gonna be at a stalemate.”

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With players in revolt, Canada Soccer president Bontis falls on his sword

“I acknowledge that this moment requires change”

Nick Bontis has announced his resignation as Canada Soccer president.

The move comes amid a tumultuous period for the federation, with its women’s national team threatening to strike during the recent SheBelieves Cup, only to call the action off after Canada Soccer threatened to sue the players.

Canada’s men’s team has voiced its support for the women’s team, with both sets of players demanding more transparency from the federation.

In a statement on Monday, Bontis said he was optimistic that Canada Soccer would eventually sign a collective bargaining agreement with its men’s and women’s national teams that would achieve equal pay, similar to the deal U.S. Soccer struck last year.

But with that deal elusive and players in open revolt, Bontis acknowledged the time had come for him to depart.

“While I have been one of the biggest proponents of equalizing the competitive performance environment for our women’s national team, I will unfortunately not be leading this organization when it happens,” Bontis said. “I acknowledge that this moment requires change.”

The Canada women’s team was driven to the point of a strike amid a myriad of issues, including recent budget cuts during a World Cup year, inequality compared to the men’s team and opaque business dealings by Canada Soccer.

The issue has seen the Canadian government take an interest, with a committee set to investigate and potential subpoenas on the table.

Under legal threats, Canada did play in the SheBelieves Cup this month, but the team has said that games in April will not happen without a satisfactory resolution.

“We’ll be playing these games in protest,” captain Christine Sinclair said ahead of the SheBelieves Cup. “But obviously next window, that won’t be the case.”

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