Bev Priestman speaks on Canada Soccer drone scandal drama: 'I didn't leave my house for a month'
Bev Priestman says she did not feel safe living in Canada following her involvement in a drone spying scandal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The former Canadian women’s national team coach was fired for her actions in that scandal and received a one-year suspension. With that suspension being lifted last week, she officially hopped back into the coaching chair with a new position in New Zealand for the Wellington Phoenix women’s side.
During her introductory press conference, many questions about the scandal were posed to Priestman. In her answers, the 39-year-old explained that the scandal impacted her family on a personal level.
“I didn’t leave my house for a month in Canada,” Priestman told reporters. “I didn’t feel safe, that’s being brutally honest. It was very difficult for my family, and I have to live with that. I have to wear that.
“It was an absolute media frenzy. You’ve got people knocking at your door, and I’ve got a little boy… It was very difficult. We knew we had to get out of that country and be a family and focus on us.”
Moving from Canada to New Zealand wasn’t a random choice for Priestman and her family. Her wife, Emma Humphries, is from Wellington and recently took on a job as the academy director with the Phoenix.
The English football coach told reporters that moving to New Zealand in the wake of the scandal was necessary.
“I didn’t think twice [about moving to New Zealand],” Priestman said. “It was nice to get away and spend the first probably five months away from a football community on a beach in Rangiora, where the world sort of doesn’t leave you alone, but you’re out of the spotlight.”
Priestman is now thrust back into the spotlight with this new coaching gig. While it may not be in Canada, plenty of Canadian soccer fans will be keeping a close eye on her work.