Canada has contested FIFA’s decision to dock them six points in a drone-spying scandal at the Paris Olympics women’s football tournament.
A ruling is anticipated just hours before their final group-stage match on Wednesday.
FIFA penalized the defending Olympic champions on Saturday, suspending coach Bev Priestman and two assistant coaches for one year over allegations of using a drone to monitor New Zealand’s training sessions.
The Canadian Soccer Association and Olympic Committee formally lodged their appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday. CAS plans to hold an appeal hearing on Tuesday, with a verdict expected by midday Wednesday. Note that the bans on the coaches are not part of this appeal.
“The appeal is based on the disproportionality of the sanction,” the Canadian Soccer Association said in a statement, “which we believe unfairly punishes the athletes for actions they had no part in and goes far beyond restoring fairness to the match against New Zealand.”
Canada plays Colombia in Nice on Wednesday night and needs to know where it stands before the game starts.
The deduction by FIFA wiped out Canada’s points earned by winning its first two games against New Zealand and France. Canada stunned France 2-1 on Sunday with a second-half comeback capped by a winning goal in the 12th minute of stoppage time.
Canada could still advance to the quarterfinals in the 12-team tournament even with a loss in court and a win on the field Wednesday. Two third-place teams from the three groups will advance to the knockout stage.
Canadian officials have said no player was involved in any alleged cheating, which they suspect has been a systemic problem potentially over years.
Priestman, who has coached the team since 2020, has apologized and said she is “absolutely heartbroken for the players.”
She stepped aside from involvement in the opening game against New Zealand last Wednesday – also a come-from-behind 2-1 win – and was removed from the Olympics by Canadian officials before the FIFA verdict.
The 38-year-old English coach could yet appeal to CAS against her FIFA ban as an individual.
