Canada's women's national football team is suspected of having spied on their Olympic opponent New Zealand with the help of a drone.
Now, Canada's assistant coach and a video analyst are being sent home – and head coach Bev Priestman will not coach the team in the premiere against the New Zealanders.
It was during a training session on Monday that New Zealand's women's national team discovered a drone in the sky. French police later identified the drone pilot as a video analyst for Olympic preliminary opponent Canada, and the man was arrested.
According to the news agency The Canadian Press, New Zealand is said to have noted a flying drone during a training session on Friday as well.
Now, Canada's assistant coach Jasmine Mander and video analyst Joseph Lombardi are being sent home from the Paris Olympics.
At the same time, head coach Bev Priestman has chosen not to stand on the sidelines during Thursday's Olympic premiere in Saint-Étienne.
"I am ultimately responsible for how we behave in our national team," says Priestman in a statement.
In a statement, the Canadian Olympic Committee says it is "shocked and disappointed" over the incident and has apologized to the New Zealand Football Association and the country's Olympic Committee.
