Canadian players have not been involved in any unethical behaviour, Canada Soccer chief Kevin Blue said on Friday in the wake of a drone spying scandal that led to the sacking of women's national team coach Bev Priestman at the Paris Olympics.

Canada Soccer is hoping world governing body FIFA does not consider sanctions against the country's national team players amid investigations into systemic drone spying by staff members from the men's and women's national teams.

"We admire deeply the will and determination of this group," CEO &amp; General Secretary Blue told reporters. "The players themselves have not been involved in any unethical behaviour and frankly we ask FIFA to take that into consideration."

"Behaviour in the ethical grey area is completely unacceptable to Canadians ... to me personally, it's completely unacceptable as a leader."

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Canadian media have reported that both of the country's senior teams have relied on drones and spying for years.

The men's team qualified for their first World Cup in 36 years in 2022, while the women's side won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

Blue added that he had received "anecdotal feedback" related to drone use by Canada during last month's Copa America semi-final run and that coach Jesse Marsch was aware of it.

"I am aware of an instance of attempted drone usage at the Copa America," he said. "I have spoken with our current head coach about the incident after it occurred and I know he denounced it as a practice to his staff.

"Of course there's going to be a significant, thorough review as we proceed with the investigation."

The Canadian Olympic Committee said on Thursday that the women's team will be led by assistant coach Andy Spence for the remainder of the Paris Games.

Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Canadian players have not been involved in any unethical behaviour, Canada Soccer chief Kevin Blue said on Friday in the wake of a drone spying scandal that led to the sacking of women's national team coach Bev Priestman at the Paris Olympics.

Canadian players have not been involved in any unethical behaviour, Canada Soccer chief Kevin Blue said on Friday in the wake of a drone spying scandal that led to the sacking of women's national team coach Bev Priestman at the Paris Olympics. Canada Soccer is hoping world governing body FIFA does not consider sanctions against the country's national team players amid investigations into systemic drone spying by staff members from the men's and women's national teams. "We admire deeply the will and determination of this group," CEO & General Secretary Blue told reporters. "The players themselves have not been involved in any unethical behaviour and frankly we ask FIFA to take that into consideration." "Behaviour in the ethical grey area is completely unacceptable to Canadians ... to me personally, it's completely unacceptable as a leader." ALSO READ: Paris Olympics 2024: All you need to know about India's schedule on Day 1 as Lakshya Sen takes center stage Canadian media have reported that both of the country's senior teams have relied on drones and spying for years. The men's team qualified for their first World Cup in 36 years in 2022, while the women's side won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Blue added that he had received "anecdotal feedback" related to drone use by Canada during last month's Copa America semi-final run and that coach Jesse Marsch was aware of it. "I am aware of an instance of attempted drone usage at the Copa America," he said. "I have spoken with our current head coach about the incident after it occurred and I know he denounced it as a practice to his staff. "Of course there's going to be a significant, thorough review as we proceed with the investigation." The Canadian Olympic Committee said on Thursday that the women's team will be led by assistant coach Andy Spence for the remainder of the Paris Games. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Paris Olympics 2024: Players not engaged in unethical behaviour, says Canada Soccer after drone scandal

An assistant coach and an analyst with the Canadian women's football team were sent home from the Olympics Wednesday for their part in a spying scandal.

The analyst, 43-year-old Joey Lombardi, was also given a suspended eight-month prison sentence for flying a drone over a New Zealand training session this week in Saint-Etienne.

Lombardi pleaded guilty when he appeared in court in Saint-Etienne on Wednesday, the court told AFP.

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The assistant coach was Jasmine Mander, to whom Lombardi reported.

Head coach Bev Priestman also announced she will take no part in the opening game of Canada's gold medal defence, against New Zealand on Thursday.

"The COC is in contact with the IOC and in contact with FIFA. Canada Soccer has been transparent and cooperative throughout the process," the COC said. "The COC will continue to review this matter and may take further action if necessary."

The decisions come after a staff member was detained by French authorities for flying the drone in a bid to spy on New Zealand's tactics.

The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) said it had since learned of a second incident involving New Zealand, who formally lodged a complaint with the IOC integrity unit and demanded answers from Canada.

Priestman said she did not think it would be appropriate to be on the bench for the clash against New Zealand on Thursday.

"On behalf of our entire team, I first and foremost want to apologise to the players and staff at New Zealand Football and to the players on Team Canada," she said. "This does not represent the values that our team stands for.

"I am ultimately responsible for conduct in our programme. Accordingly, to emphasise our team's commitment to integrity, I have decided to voluntarily withdraw from coaching the match."

New Zealand Football said Thursday they have referred the matter to the disciplinary committee of football's governing body FIFA seeking "urgent action".

"There is no place for this type of action in football and it is critical that urgent action is undertaken to address this integrity breach," New Zealand Football chief executive Andrew Pragnell said in a statement.

"To hear now that the Canadian team had filmed secret footage of our team training at least twice is incredibly concerning and if not treated urgently could have wider implications for the integrity of the tournament."

An assistant coach and an analyst with the Canadian women's football team were sent home from the Olympics Wednesday for their part in a spying scandal. The analyst, 43-year-old Joey Lombardi, was also given a suspended eight-month prison sentence for flying a drone over a New Zealand training session this week in Saint-Etienne.

An assistant coach and an analyst with the Canadian women's football team were sent home from the Olympics Wednesday for their part in a spying scandal. The analyst, 43-year-old Joey Lombardi, was also given a suspended eight-month prison sentence for flying a drone over a New Zealand training session this week in Saint-Etienne. Lombardi pleaded guilty when he appeared in court in Saint-Etienne on Wednesday, the court told AFP. ALSO READ: Paris Olympics 2024: Kevin Durant feeling 'pretty good' as Team USA aims basketball medal The assistant coach was Jasmine Mander, to whom Lombardi reported. Head coach Bev Priestman also announced she will take no part in the opening game of Canada's gold medal defence, against New Zealand on Thursday. "The COC is in contact with the IOC and in contact with FIFA. Canada Soccer has been transparent and cooperative throughout the process," the COC said. "The COC will continue to review this matter and may take further action if necessary." The decisions come after a staff member was detained by French authorities for flying the drone in a bid to spy on New Zealand's tactics. The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) said it had since learned of a second incident involving New Zealand, who formally lodged a complaint with the IOC integrity unit and demanded answers from Canada. Priestman said she did not think it would be appropriate to be on the bench for the clash against New Zealand on Thursday. "On behalf of our entire team, I first and foremost want to apologise to the players and staff at New Zealand Football and to the players on Team Canada," she said. "This does not represent the values that our team stands for. "I am ultimately responsible for conduct in our programme. Accordingly, to emphasise our team's commitment to integrity, I have decided to voluntarily withdraw from coaching the match." New Zealand Football said Thursday they have referred the matter to the disciplinary committee of football's governing body FIFA seeking "urgent action". "There is no place for this type of action in football and it is critical that urgent action is undertaken to address this integrity breach," New Zealand Football chief executive Andrew Pragnell said in a statement. "To hear now that the Canadian team had filmed secret footage of our team training at least twice is incredibly concerning and if not treated urgently could have wider implications for the integrity of the tournament."

Paris Olympics 2024: Canada football staff sent home over drone scandal

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Paris Olympics 2024: Players not engaged in unethical behaviour, says Canada Soccer after drone scandal

Paris Olympics 2024: Canada football staff sent home over drone scandal