Priestman emails show Canada Soccer spying may have been regular practice
Myles Dichter | CBC Sports | Posted: July 31, 2024 3:57 PM | Last Updated: August 1
'All top 10 teams do it,' coach wrote in message
Emails released by FIFA indicate drone usage for the purposes of spying may have been a common practice across Canada Soccer's senior national teams.
The international soccer federation released a document dated July 28 regarding punishment levied against the national federation after an analyst was caught operating a drone to spy on a New Zealand practice ahead of their Olympic opener on July 25. Canada won that game, 2-1.
Included within the document is an internal March 20 message from women's head coach Bev Priestman regarding "spying." All redactions were made by FIFA.
"It's something the analyst has always done and I know there is a whole operation on the men's side with regards to it (we had [redacted] in with us recently and he was outstanding in this area)," the message reads.
"Yesterday in a meeting when discussing, I asked [redacted] to propose a [sic] alternative solution as for scouting it can be the difference between winning and losing and all top 10 teams do it."
WATCH l Emails show how an analyst pushed back against spying:
The sanctions against Canada Soccer included a six-point penalty, which the federation appealed. The Court of Arbitration for Sport denied the appeal on Wednesday.
In a statement, Canada Soccer said it is "disappointed with today's appeal decision and continue to believe that our players should not have been unnecessarily punished for actions that were not their own."
As for its own investigation, the federation "will start the review by initially focusing on actions taken by Canada Soccer representatives related to the incident at the Olympic Games."
Additionally, Priestman, assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joey Lombardi were all sent home from the Olympics by the Canadian Olympic Committee following the New Zealand revelation, and FIFA later suspended all three from soccer activities for a year. Canada Soccer did not appeal those punishments.
Priestman's email came after she received a communication from a performance analyst that was "unwilling" to engage in "spying."
In that message, the analyst listed three reasons for her objection to the practice in bullet points: "morally; my own reputation within the analysis field; [and] potentially being unable to fulfil my role on a matchday.
"Moving forward I will have a discussion with Joey and reach out to the wider tech team with regards to how we could potentially look for other solutions," the analyst wrote. "But just wanted to confirm that you will not be asking me to fulfil the role of "spying" in the upcoming camp & future camps. I am sure you will respect my reasoning and thank you for your understanding."
Priestman's ensuing email, whose recipient was redacted in the FIFA release, was "seeking advice" on the analyst's rejection of the practice.
"I received this more 'formal' email this morning and so just after guidance really as to what from a [sic] HR stand point [sic] I can do or do I need to find another solution in resourcing? It's a tricky one and it's formal for a reason I feel…," Priestman wrote.
Practice 'stems back'
In a communication to FIFA on July 27, Canada Soccer, which has launched an independent review of the organization's spying, indicated the practice "stems back."
"In other words, this was a practice started by one person – [redacted] – and continued by Bev Priestman."
CBC News has confirmed the "one person" to be John Herdman, former women's and men's national coach.
Priestman was hired as head coach in 2020 and went on to lead the team to gold at the Tokyo Olympics. She took over from Kenneth Heiner-Moller, whose brief two-year stint succeeded Herdman, who guided the squad from 2011 until 2018.
Herdman went to coach the men's national team before being named manager of Major League Soccer's Toronto FC in August 2023.
Herdman denied his involvement in drone usage in a press conference July 26 and reiterated his position Wednesday at a TFC practice in Toronto.
"I can again clarify that at a FIFA World Cup, pinnacle event, Olympic Games, at a Youth World Cup, those activities have not been undertaken," he said, adding he would cooperate with Canada Soccer's investigation. "And I've got nothing else to say on that matter."
On Wednesday, TFC said it would "refrain from making any comments until the review is concluded."
Players leaning on each other
After beating New Zealand, Canadian players rallied for a comeback win over France by the same 2-1 score in which Vanessa Gilles scored in the 101st minute to complete the victory.
Now, Canada must beat No. 22 Colombia in a match on Wednesday in Nice at 3 p.m. ET to advance to the quarterfinals. Anything less than a win would result in the team's elimination from the tournament.
"We haven't slept in the last three days. We haven't eaten. We've been crying. Like, I wouldn't say they're ideal performing situations. But we've held each other through it and we've had absolutely nothing to lose," a teary-eyed Gilles said after the France game.
"So what's given us energy is each other, is our determination, is our pride to prove people wrong, our pride to represent this country when all this shit is coming out about our values, about our representation as Canadians.
"It's not us. We're not cheaters. We're damn good players. We're a damn good team. We're a damn good group and we proved that today."
FIFA also noted that its sanctions were directly in response to the drone that was intercepted at the New Zealand practice.
It said it expects Canada Soccer "to provide FIFA with the results of said investigation in order for it to be able to assess and decide whether further action by the FIFA bodies is necessary and appropriate."