Steve Simmons: Canadian soccer coach Bev Priestman ...
The Canadian soccer scandal at the Olympics isn't about to go away any time soon
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Published Jul 25, 2024 • 4 minute read
PARIS — Bev Priestman is signed to coach Team Canada through to the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027.
What are the odds now that she will actually ever reach the end of that agreement with Canada Soccer?
When the smoke clears — and with it the drones flying — there will be many questions asked by Canada Soccer, by the world body FIFA, and still by the Canadian Olympic Committee in the wake of the continuing smell of rather foolish and immature soccer scandal of these Summer Games.
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And, unlike today, some answers are due here.
It all starts, really, and goes back to the coach, Priestman, who punished herself Thursday by ostensibly suspending herself from coaching Team Canada in their soccer tournament opener against New Zealand in an almost-empty stadium — which seemed kind of appropriate.
The COC let Priestman get away with the charade of a one-game non-suspension suspension, her apparent punishment for not being responsible for the ill-conceived, ill-prepared attempt at cheating or spying here at the Games.
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The penalty for spying on New Zealand should have been a dunce cap. The penalty for doing it on more than one occasion should be even more severe than that.
Pressman will return to coach Canada for the rest of this Olympic event, for however long that lasts and, for now at least, they are undefeated after a 2-1 win over New Zealand.
A medal was a long shot coming in before the drones flew in France. Who knows now whether something like this can galvanize a team — the way getting cheated for years by more-than-questionable officiating galvanized another Canadian soccer team years ago.
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Maybe, some players suggested, this will pull them closer together — or maybe, behind the scenes, with two trusted assistant coaches having been sent home without supper, the team is internally confused and have every reason to wonder about their leadership.
Whatever the case, Soccer Canada needs to know more and investigate more on exactly what went down here.
How did they get a drone to Paris? Did they pack it? Did they buy it here? Where’s the credit card receipt on this and who paid the bill for it? Soccer Canada? Priestman? The coaches that were sent home, Joe Lombardi or Jasmine Mander?
There’s still a lot to know and an independent investigation that will begin after the Olympics could answer some of those questions.
Meanwhile, Canada Soccer waits and the players wait for answers of their own, and the sport waits, and the IOC clearly doesn’t care, and FIFA waits for find out what it needs to know while the Canadian Olympic Committee sticks by its cockamamie story, for now, that coach Priestman knew nothing about the New Zealand spying.
The next coach of the Team Canada should be named Sgt. Schultz: He knew nothing, also. always on Hogan’s Heroes.
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The next something Bev Priestman should know is that it’s time to pack her bags. From here. From the country.
The gold medal of three years ago was three years ago. Whatever great was accomplished — and it was great — came in the past. This is now and cheating wasn’t acceptable when Ben Johnson shot needles 26 years ago and it’s certainly not acceptable now.
There was almost universal love towards Canada’s Olympic soccer team when they won gold in Japan. Finally gold. It felt like a sporting gift of sorts, the kind of Olympic performance that feels better than any other.
That’s the range of emotions that can be found from Olympic success, failure or, in this case, disgust.
The team becomes yours when it wins, a piece of our history and place in your heart. When they lose, they gave you something and then sometimes take it away. That’s the power of anything Olympian. But this time it’s different.
This time it’s ‘why?’ This time it’s ‘what?’ This time it’s ‘how?’
This had put Canadians in a position they’re not used to being in.
The power of Olympic accomplishment and Olympic disappointment never has been more nationally apparent than when a synchronized swim judge in Spain pushed the wrong button and it apparently cost Sylvie Frechette a gold medal.
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Suddenly, radio stations across Canada were dealing with screamers on talk shows yelling about how we were robbed in the pool. People who had never seen synchronized swimming were screaming. People who wouldn’t know the rules of the sport, let alone any of the competitors, were screaming.
This is what happens to us at Olympic time: We all get a little passionate, a little crazy, a little patriotic and a little crazier when controversy hits.
The overriding national emotion the past few days was: ‘Why do this? Why cheat? Why cheat more than once? Why now and why New Zealand?’
Bev Priestman is the head coach of Team Canada. If she thinks she’s finished answering these questions, she only may be half right.
She may just finished — and certainly won’t be around for the World Cup of 2027, no matter what her contract might say.
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