July 29, (THEWILL) – Canada has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) regarding FIFA’s decision to deduct six points from their women’s Olympic football team.
The appeal, filed by Canada Soccer and the Canadian Olympic Committee, challenges the punishment imposed due to a spying incident involving a drone at a rival team’s training session.
The incident occurred when team analyst Joey Lombardi was caught flying a drone over New Zealand’s training before their match, which Canada won 2-1. FIFA responded by fining Canada 200,000 Swiss francs, banning three staff members, including head coach Bev Priestman, and deducting six points from the team’s Olympic campaign.
Despite winning both their matches against New Zealand and France, the point deduction leaves Canada with zero points in Group A. They now face a must-win situation against Colombia to advance to the quarterfinals and defend their gold medal from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Team captain Jessie Fleming expressed her frustration with the decision, stating that it unfairly penalises the players who had no control over the situation. However, she noted that the adversity has brought the team closer together.
CAS is expected to hold a hearing on Tuesday, with a verdict anticipated by Wednesday. The appeal specifically addresses the point deduction and does not cover the staff bans or monetary fines. The outcome of this appeal could significantly impact Canada’s chances of progressing in the 2024 Paris Olympic football tournament.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
