Canadian women’s soccer team member sentenced over drone incident, prosecutor reveals
A staff member of the Canadian women’s soccer team has received a suspended prison sentence of eight months for using a drone to film the closed-door training session of the New Zealand women’s soccer team, CNN reported.
The incident took place in Saint-Étienne, a city located 400 kilometers south of Paris, where the upcoming match was scheduled to be played. According to the Saint-Etienne prosecutor’s office, the drone was initially spotted by the supervisor of the Olympic training sites and brought to the attention of the police. As a result, training had to be temporarily suspended.
Following the complaint lodged by the New Zealand Olympic Committee, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) issued a formal apology and took immediate action. They announced that two members of the Canadian Olympic Team, Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander, would be sent back home. Lombardi, who is described by the COC as an "unaccredited analyst with Canada Soccer," was the drone operator, and he shared the recorded footage with assistant coach Jasmine Mander. In addition, head coach Bev Priestman decided to remove herself from coaching the match against New Zealand.
During the investigation, the individual responsible for the incident, a 43-year-old Canadian national, admitted to operating the drone. He claimed to be a sports coach for young soccer players in Canada and was attending the event in France for functions related to being an independent sports analyst working for the Canadian Football Federation. The prosecutor’s office seized the drone, along with other electronic devices found in his hotel room. It was revealed that there had been a similar incident of drone recording during New Zealand's previous team practice on July 20.
After accepting his 8-month suspended prison sentence in the presence of his lawyer, the individual remains unnamed. The Canadian team's assistant coach, who was also involved, was questioned by the authorities.
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