Canadian soccer fans and those involved with youth soccer programs said they are angry and disappointed by the revelation the women’s team twice used drones to spy on rival team practices at the Paris Olympics, while the men’s team attempted to use drones at the recent Copa America tournament.
However, fans also expressed sympathy for the players themselves who have been caught up in the scandal despite no evidence they were involved, and they fear that however Canada’s women fare at the Olympics, their results will be clouded by suspicion.
And while Canada Soccer chief executive officer Kevin Blue said he is investigating a potential “systemic ethical shortcoming” at the organization over the spying incidents, which led to the removal of women’s soccer coach Bev Priestman, corporate sponsors have so far remained silent.
Officials with youth soccer programs said the drone scandal clashes with the values their organizations try to instill in young players.
“If you’re going to get an edge, get that edge on development and performance on the field, rather than performance off the field,” said Martino Vergata, president of the Winnipeg Youth Soccer Association. “Something of this nature is not acceptable at any level.”
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Vergata said this situation has created a “black eye” for Canadian soccer.
Likewise Louis Trahan, manager of a U13 boys team in Toronto, said the scandal has left him feeling “frustrated and disappointed” because while soccer’s national and provincial governing bodies emphasize the rules of the game and playing with respect, “here we are at the highest level showing them how to cheat.”
Trahan also said he feels bad for the players in Paris if they had no idea the spying was going on.
“They’re working their butts off and poured their heart and soul into the sport so to have this moment sullied by decisions from Canada Soccer staff is not cool,” he said.
Chris Van den Broeck of Fredericton is not a casual soccer fan. He recently drove to New Jersey with his son to cheer on the Canadian men’s team in their semi-final match of the Copa America tournament.
Van den Broeck said he felt “embarrassment” and “shame” as the drone scandal came to light.
“I consider myself a very passionate sports fan and a backer of our country,” he said. “I find that difficult to do when it’s plainly evident that there has been cheating involved.”
Van den Broeck tuned into the women’s team’s opening match on Thursday, largely to see how the spectators and opposing players from New Zealand would react.
There’s “almost a morbid fascination to see what will happen,” he said.
James Covey of Halifax has been a big supporter of Canadian soccer, both locally as a founding member of the supporters group for the Halifax Wanderers, and at the national level, travelling with his partner to Edmonton, Hamilton and Toronto for men’s World Cup qualifying matches.
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The couple were “stoked for the Olympics but now there’s a pall hanging over everything,” he said.
He welcomed the move by Canada Soccer to launch an independent external review into the drone spying, and said the “best outcome I can hope for is a real reset” with Canada’s soccer program.
“I like to think there’s a bright future beyond this, but you have to be in the moment and admit this is bad, it feels bad, and it should feel bad,” he said.
The website for Canada Soccer lists several corporate sponsors, including Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Telus Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. None of the companies responded to a request for comment on the scandal and whether they were reviewing their sponsorships.
CIBC struck a multiyear agreement with Canada Soccer in 2022 that, among other things, has placed the bank logo on the training apparel of the men’s and women’s national teams.
Les Jones, a Canadian soccer historian, said in an e-mail that spying in the sport is likely endemic, however, other teams are certainly more discreet than Canada, because “standing outside a stadium with a drone control is inviting attention.”
He also said with more recent revelations coming out about previous drone activity by Canada, “I’d be worried that the 2020 Olympic gold medal will be withdrawn,” he said.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story said Charmaine Crooks is the president of Canada Soccer. In fact, she left that role earlier this year.