The French, German and Zambian national women’s football teams have denied using drones to spy on opposition training sessions.
In an internal email, Canada head coach Bev Priestman, who has been suspended by FIFA for a year after admitting to using drone surveillance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, accused the top 10 teams of deploying the same covert methods.
“…for scouting it can be the difference between winning and losing and all top 10 teams do it,” Priestman wrote in an internal email dated March 20, 2024.
However, after the highest-ranked federations — Spain, France, Germany, USWNT, Japan, Brazil, Australia, Colombia, New Zealand, Nigeria, and Zambia — at the Paris Olympics were contacted by The Athletic, several denied this was the case and rebuked Priestman’s claims.
“We only wish to state that the French Federation is never using any spying methods on the opponents’ teams,” the French Football Federation (FFF) said. “We also add that, if the mail does exist, we strongly reject these baseless accusations.”
“Team Zambia does not use drones to spy on our opponents,” said a spokesperson for Team Zambia. “Our approach to match preparation relies on traditional methods of analysis and scouting.
“We respectfully disagree with Ms. Priestman’s assertion that ‘all top 10 teams’ engage in such practices. Team Zambia maintains high ethical standards in our preparation and competition strategies.
“While we acknowledge the importance of thorough match analysis, we achieve this through legitimate means that do not involve unauthorized surveillance of other teams.
“Our focus remains on developing our players’ skills, teamwork, and tactical understanding through our dedicated technical bench and analysts. We believe in fair play and competing with integrity on the world stage.”
The German national women’s team also denied using drones to spy on opposition training sessions, whilst opting not to provide a comment to the accusations made by Priestman.
Spain, the USWNT, Japan, Brazil, Australia, Colombia, New Zealand and Nigeria did not respond to The Athletic’s request for comment.
England, Sweden and the Netherlands — who were ranked in the FIFA world top 10 when Priestman sent her email in March, but are not at the Olympics — were also contacted for comment.
The English FA declined to go on the record but officials privately denied that using drones to monitor opponents’ preparations was part of how the team prepared for matches. Sweden and the Netherlands did not respond.
Priestman has been suspended from soccer for a year (Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports)
New Zealand, Canada’s first opponents in Paris, complained to local police after staff members noticed a drone flying over their practice session before their opening match.
The drone was tracked back to its operator, Joseph Lombardi, who was an “unaccredited analyst” with the Canadian women’s team, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) said.
Defending champions Canada were docked six points in their Olympics qualification group and fined £175,720 by FIFA, with Preistman, Lombardi, and another official, Jasmine Mender, receiving year-long suspensions.
Canada’s appeal to have the points deduction overturned was dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Wednesday — hours before Canada sealed their qualification to the quarter-finals with a 1-0 win over Colombia, with assistant coach Andy Spence now managing the team in Priestman’s absence.
In a statement, Canada Sport said they were “disappointed” with their appeal being rejected, adding they “continue to believe that our players should not have been unnecessarily punished for actions that were not their own”.
(Top photo: Alex Grimm – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
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