Drones are useful surveillance machines that make the work of soldiers, content creators, and other people easier. However, they are often abused like in the case with the Canadian women's football team.
The Canadian squad suffered a significant setback in their Olympic campaign following a drone spying scandal.
FIFA has imposed a six-point deduction and a one-year ban on head coach Bev Priestman and two assistant coaches after confirming the team used a drone to surveil opponents in New Zealand during training.
Drone Spying Issue of Canadian Women's Football Team
New Zealand's forward #18 Grace Jale fights for the ball with Canada's defender #10 Ashley Lawrence and Canada's forward #11 Adriana Leon in the women's group A football match between Canada and New Zealand during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium in Saint-Etienne on July 25, 2024. ARNAUD FINISTRE/AFP via Getty Images
According to The Independent, the investigation was launched after New Zealand lodged a complaint about a drone flying over their training session before their opening match.
FIFA's findings determined that the Canadian coaching staff violated the principles of fair play and imposed severe penalties. The Canadian Olympic Committee swiftly acted, removing Priestman and her staff from their positions.
The six-point deduction puts Canada in a precarious position in their group, facing an uphill battle to advance to the knockout stages. The team must now secure victories against France and Colombia to have any chance of progressing.
"I am ultimately responsible for our conduct [...], to emphasize our team's commitment to integrity I have decided to voluntarily withdraw from coaching the match on Thursday," Priestman said via AP News.
The Worst Part Behind Drone Spying Scandal
A TSN report wrote that drone spying had been used before by the women's team when they got a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The worst part here is that the staff were believed to use drones as part of their jobs. If they do not comply, their positions are in jeopardy.
According to one source, the staff even hid behind bushes or any obstructions when they were using the drones. This was done to spy on the team practice session of the Japanese national team.
As per Canada Soccer's CEO Kevin Blue, the organization is currently launching an investigation into its "systemic ethical shortcoming. However, withdrawing the involved team from the game appears to be absent in their vocabulary.
What FIFA did was straight sanction in the form of disciplinary proceedings against the Canadian team and their head coach.
Speaking of drones, a police group based in Santa Monica, California captured a car burglar via their drone surveillance program. Without approaching the suspect, the team was able to catch the thief off-guard.
The officers used the drone to survey the area near the Santa Monica pier. From there, they saw a suspicious person in the parking lot. It was found out on drone footage that the man carjacked a car and a truck. That's the time when they apprehended the criminal.
