Canada appeal denied, will need win to advance at Olympics

Canada will need a win today to keep their dream alive of a fourth straight women’s soccer medal at the Olympics.

Today, the Court of Arbitration for Sport maintained its decision for Canada’s appeal of a six-point deduction in the group stage, following the discovery of team staff spying on New Zealand prior to the two countries meeting in the opening match of Paris 2024.

The statement read that Canada’s appeal acknowledged the drone use, but still felt the six-point deduction was too harsh.

Despite Canada winning their first two games over New Zealand and hosts France, the team still sits third in the group with zero points as a result of the FIFA and IOC decision.

“The Canadian Olympic Committee and Canada Soccer thank the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s Ad Hoc Committee for its expedited process in hearing this case. While disappointed in the outcome of our appeal, we commend the players for their incredible resilience and grit over the course of this tournament, and look forward to cheering them on in today’s match against Colombia,” Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue said in a statement in response.

Canada faces off against Colombia at 3 pm ET/noon PT today, and will advance to the quarterfinals of the 12-team tournament with a win.

The Canadian women have been without three staff members since news of the scandal broke: most notably, head coach Bev Priestman.

Assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi were also sent home from France, with all three being suspended by FIFA for a year.

“I am absolutely heartbroken for the players, and I would like to apologize from the bottom of my heart for the impact this situation has had on all of them,” Priestman said in a statement earlier this week. “As the leader of the team on the field, I want to take accountability, and I plan to fully cooperate with the investigation.”

Canada won gold in women’s soccer at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, while picking up bronze medals at London 2012 and Rio 2016.

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