Olympic Soccer/Football

[Karen-W]

I have no plans on watching either the men's or women's tournaments but here's some news to start the thread.

Oh, Canada! Early start to the latest cheating methods!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1815967095621857617

 

[allezfred]

 

[quartz]

Just woke up - first news on my feed. Horrible. Wth were they thinking pulling a stunt like this.

 

[skategal]

The Canadian athletes must be mortified at the action of their coaches.

Shameful. Glad they threw them out of the games.

 

[airgelaal]

This is a circus, not football. I'm talking about the matches in Group B

 

[allezfred]

Summary of what happened at Argentina v Morocco

Why it took two hours for VAR to disallow Argentina's dramatic goal at Olympics

Argentina thought they had equalised against Morocco in the 16th minute of stoppage time. Ninety minutes later, the goal was ruled out by the VAR. Here's what happened.

www.espn.com

 

[quartz]

Canada vs New Zealand starting now. All the fun and joy is sucked right out of this for me.

 

[quartz]

New Zealand scores first - good for them.

 

[quartz]

Canada ties it up just before half.

 

[quartz]

2-1 for Canada with ten minutes to go.

 

[skatingguy]

Canada vs New Zealand starting now. All the fun and joy is sucked right out of this for me.

New Zealand scores first - good for them.

Canada ties it up just before half.

2-1 for Canada with ten minutes to go.

I couldn't watch - they should have forfeited the match.

 

[skatingguy]

“Over the past 24 hours, additional information has come to our attention regarding previous drone use against opponents, predating the Paris 2024 Olympic Games," Blue said. "In light of these new revelations, Canada Soccer has made the decision to suspend Women’s National Team Head Coach, Bev Priestman for the remainder of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and until the completion of our recently announced independent external review.”

Canada Soccer suspends coach Bev Priestman as drone scandal unravels

Canada Soccer has suspended Canadian women's national team head coach Bev Priestman for the remainder of the Olympics as the fallout from the team's spying scandal continues.

www.sportsnet.ca

 

[Husky]

Fifa rank list - women's soccer:

No 8 Canada
No 28 NZL

This is bizarre. This coach must be some perfectionist or she doesn't believe in her own players' skills.

 

[allezfred]

The honorable thing to do would have been for the Canadians to withdraw. While the players may not have known, their coaching team was able to use the information gleaned for their training. It’s cheating.

 

[Husky]

To be honest, I didn't even know that foreign spectators are not allowed during practice on the field. Is this an Olymic rule?

 

[skategal]

Anonymous sources saying this is a much bigger issue and a long standing practice for both men’s and women’s national teams.

Unclear whether players knew.

Canada's men's and women's soccer teams have relied on drones and spying for years, sources say | TSN

Coaching staff and contractors working with Canada’s men’s and women’s national soccer teams have been engaged for years in efforts to film the closed-door training sessions of their opponents, including during the women’s gold-medal winning Olympic tournament in 2021, sources told TSN.

www.tsn.ca

Ugh. How dumb can they be?!?! Reputation and wins (including OGM from Tokyo) tarnished now.

 

[allezfred]

Like doping these incidents are never isolated ones.

 

[Husky]

“In Tokyo, a lot of the facilities were a little bit more open so in some cases, you could see from behind bushes or behind fences or behind trees. It wasn't that complicated, because they didn't have the big mesh walls."

Material for comedy.

BTW I had already wondered how they hide the area from spectators if they practice outside. Mesh walls is the answer.

 

[skategal]

“In Tokyo, a lot of the facilities were a little bit more open so in some cases, you could see from behind bushes or behind fences or behind trees. It wasn't that complicated, because they didn't have the big mesh walls."

Material for comedy.

Yes, “This Hour has 22 Minutes” and “The Beaverton” were given a huge gift this week.

 

[marbri]

Been reading more than I should about all this and the history of spying in football.
New head of Soccer Canada, five months on the job (lucky man), used the word systemic in his latest statement also says he will not consider withdrawing the team.

On a side note someone needs to set up a Venn diagram for the players involved. John Herdman, English football , started working with New Zealand football in 2003, was head coach for NZ National team women's team 2006-2011. Moves to Soccer Canada women's national team 2011-2018. Moves over as head coach to the men's team 2018-2023. Both New Zealand and Canada appear to improve a lot under his leadership. In the TSN article they mention a 2019 drone incident with the men's team. That date would imply Herdman was the head coach at the time.

Bev Priestman, current and now suspended coach for the women's team in Paris was a student of Herdman's, from the same town in England as Herdman and known him since she was at least 12 years old. She started her coaching career in New Zealand under Herdman. Worked with youth football in Canada from 2013-2017 ( Herdman years ) Moved back the England, worked for Everton Football Club and was assistant coach for England's national women's football team from 2018-2020. She moved to Soccer Canada in 2020 to lead the women's national team. She is married to a former New Zealand international football who works with youth football in Canada today.

I can see why once this came up officials moved from shocked to oh f**k so quickly and suspensions were handed out. I suspect systemic will involve this particular coaching duo and their time with national teams in Canada. But interesting that they also have a connection to New Zealand and English national teams and based on some articles this seems to be a thing in football. Some even disguising themselves as bushes (which at first I thought was a joke but apparently not....).

 

[quartz]

FFS.

 

[marbri]

I think some will wish there was a downvote button for what i am about to say but I don't think the athletes should be pulled. I understand the accusations and the crime. But I would let them play it out now their head coach and part of the coaching team have been removed. The strategic advantage has been removed. If they don't make it out of their group I won't mind and would consider it a blessing in the grand scheme of things. But I think the athletes themselves have the right to complete their competition.

Tweet from goalie:

x.com

x.com

 

[skategal]

I think some will wish there was a downvote button for what i am about to say but I don't think the athletes should be pulled. I understand the accusations and the crime. But I would let them play it out now their head coach and part of the coaching team have been removed. The strategic advantage has been removed. If they don't make it out of their group I won't mind and would consider it a blessing in the grand scheme of things. But I think the athletes themselves have the right to complete their competition.

Tweet from goalie:

x.com

x.com

Yeah I see your point especially considering there is no evidence that the players knew about this.

Even the anonymous sources are saying that.

I guess it will depend now on what rules and regulations are in place in Soccer/Football against this type of behaviour?

Anyone know?

 

[Husky]

Apart from the unfairness, the spying in Paris is really stupid. I remember that a few years ago, French press reported that drones were detected flying over nuclear plants and the security service was afraid that they could execute terrorist attacks.

With all the security measures at the moment in Paris they certainly control the air and detect any drone. How could the Canadians not think of it?

 

[marbri]

Apart from the unfairness, the spying in Paris is really stupid. I remember that a few years ago, French press reported that drones were detected flying over nuclear plants and the security service was afraid that they could execute terrorist attacks.

With all the security measures at the moment in Paris they certainly control the air and detect any drone. How could the Canadians not think of it?

It was in St. Etienne which is about 450 km from Paris.

 

[marbri]

Yeah I see your point especially considering there is no evidence that the players knew about this.

Even the anonymous sources are saying that.

I guess it will depend now on what rules and regulations are in place in Soccer/Football against this type of behaviour?

Anyone know?

As far as I know there is no specific rule about this but rather the general principle of fair play. So it's a grey area.

From this article they are considering the following sections:

FIFA investigates Canada Soccer, coach Bev Priestman amid drone spying

The Canadian women's soccer team's head coach Bev Priestman is among the individuals FIFA is investigating amid claims a drone was used to spy on their Olympic rivals New Zealand.

www.dailymail.co.uk

It cited a 'potential breach of article 13 of the FIFA disciplinary code and article 6.1 of the regulations Olympic football tournaments games of the XXXIII Olympiad Paris 2024 – final competition, following incidents involving a non-accredited member of the Canadian delegation at the Women's Olympic football tournament, who is believed to have used a drone to record the New Zealand women's football team.'

The statement went on, 'The matter will be submitted for the consideration of the disciplinary committee in the next days.'

CHAPTER 1. INFRINGEMENTS OF THE LAWS OF THE GAME

13. Offensive behaviour and violations of the principles of fair play

1. Associations and clubs, as well as their players, officials and any other member and/or person carrying out a function on their behalf, must respect the Laws of the Game, as well as the FIFA Statutes and FIFA’s regulations, directives, guidelines, circulars and decisions, and comply with the principles of fair play, loyalty and integrity.

2. For example, anyone who acts in any of the following ways may be subject to disciplinary measures:
a) violating the basic rules of decent conduct;
b) insulting a natural or legal person in any way, especially by using offensive gestures, signs or language;
c) using a sports event for demonstrations of a non-sporting nature;
d) behaving in a way that brings the sport of football and/or FIFA into disrepute;
e) actively altering the age of players shown on the identity cards they produce at competitions that are subject to age limits.

Article 6: Participating member associations

6.1 The member associations that participate in the preliminary competition(the “Participating Member Associations”) agree to comply with and ensure that every Delegation Member (players, coaches, managers, officials, media officers, representatives, guests and any other person carrying out duties throughout the preliminary competition, and for the entire duration of their stay in the host country/countries, on behalf of a Participating MemberAssociation) (“Delegation Members”) complies with these Regulations, the Laws of the Game, the FIFA Statutes and FIFA’s other regulations, the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the FIFA Anti-Doping Regulations, the FIFA Code of Ethics and the FIFA Equipment Regulations, as well as with any other FIFA circular letters, regulations, guidelines, directives and/or decisions. In addition, the players and team officials agree notably to:
a) respect the spirit of fair play and non-violence;
b) behave accordingly; and
c) refrain from doping as defined by the FIFA Anti-Doping Regulations.

Can't wait for the swimming to start

 

[marbri]

Statement from Christine Sinclair:

Christine Sinclair on Instagram

4,012 likes, 94 comments - c_sinc12 on July 26, 2024

www.instagram.com

 

[airgelaal]

INCREDIBLE! We won this match

 

[marbri]

x.com

x.com

FIFA ruling just in on drone scandal. Canada deducted six points at Olympics. Fined CHF 200,000.Priestman, Lombardi and Mander suspended from any football related activity for a year.

Seems like the fairest solution all around. Basically ends their chance of advancing further as they are now at -3 pts but the athletes still get to stay, play the games in their group and partake in all the Olympics has to offer. F**k Priestman (and most likely Herdman) for the culture they created. Will be interesting to see what their career looks like after their suspension, who hires them etc..

 

[millyskate]

Some even disguising themselves as bushes (which at first I thought was a joke but apparently not....).

This is seriously bonkers.