Canada qualify despite soccer drone spying saga

Canada have advanced in Paris despite losing an appeal against a penalty over the drone saga. (AP PHOTO)

Damning new details of the depths of Canada's soccer spying operations have emerged as they lost their appeal against a six-point deduction in the Olympic women's soccer tournament.

And yet it hasn't stopped the team progressing into the last eight at the Paris Games, winning a third-straight match to overcome their penalty.

Vanessa Gillies' goal was enough for a 1-0 win over Colombia on Thursday (AEST), giving the Canucks second place in Group A.

It also knocked out the Matildas, who needed Colombia to take at least a point off Canada for Australia to stay alive as as one of the two best third-placed finishers in France.

The reverberations from a dramatic day in the sport are yet to fully become clear, with Canadian officials admitting to FIFA they  routinely spied on opponents.

The admission was contained in evidence in its appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which failed earlier on Thursday (AEST).

Two Canadian staff were sent home and women's coach Bev Priestman was suspended on the eve of the tournament after first-up opponents New Zealand noticed a drone flying over their team training.

A police investigation discovered it was part of Canada's preparations, bringing shame to their team and country.

A FIFA document prepared for Canada's appeal outlined a history of spying on opponents which also extends to their men's team.

The document includes an email a Canada Soccer performance analyst wrote to Priestman, the English coach, who declines to undertake the spying, citing moral concerns to her reputation.

Priestman then wrote an email to a human relations consultant seeking advice "regarding this formal email on spying”.

Canada soccer
Canada's 1-0 win over Colombia was enough to take the team to the Olympic quarterfinals.

"It’s something the analyst has always done and I know there is a whole operation on the men’s side," she wrote, adding a previous analyst "was outstanding in this area".

"It can be the difference between winning and losing and all top 10 teams do it," Priestman said.

Neil Eggleston, the FIFA appeals judge and former White House Counsel who wrote the document, concludes the Olympics spying is "inexcusable and unacceptable".

Players have denied knowledge of the operation, while Priestman has apologised to them, saying she was "absolutely heartbroken".

The FIFA document also reveals team analyst Joseph Lombardi was held in detention by French police for three days.

Flying a drone over an Olympic competition site was prohibited in France, with Lombardi given an eight-month suspended sentence for doing so after pleading guilty.

“I was non-accredited and wanted to impress the Canadian women’s technical staff with informed/accurate analysis to elevate my role for future opportunities,” Lombardi said in evidence to FIFA.

Eggleston insisted FIFA should get details of the now-launched Canadian investigation to “decide whether further action by the FIFA bodies is necessary and appropriate.”

The stakes are high for Canada, which is preparing to host the biggest event in world sport: the 2026 FIFA World Cup with USA and Mexico.

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