Bev Priestman will not coach Canada in its Olympic women’s soccer opener against New Zealand after members of her staff flew drones over the Kiwis’ practices on Friday and Monday. In addition, the Canadian Olympic Committee has removed assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi from the team’s staff.

“I am ultimately responsible for conduct in our program,” Priestman said in a statement released Wednesday by the Canadian Olympic Committee. “Accordingly, to emphasize our team’s commitment to integrity, I have decided to voluntarily withdraw from coaching the match on Thursday. In the spirit of accountability, I do this with the interests of both teams in mind and to ensure everyone feels that the sportsmanship of this game is upheld.

“On behalf of our entire team, I first and foremost want to apologize to the players and staff at New Zealand Football and to the players on Team Canada. This does not represent the values that our team stands for.”

Assistant coach Andy Spence will lead Canada, the defending Olympic gold medalist, against New Zealand.

The New Zealand Olympic Committee said in a statement Tuesday that police detained a drone operator, who was identified as a member of the Canadian women’s soccer team’s support staff, the day before. The NZOC added that it lodged a complaint with the International Olympic Committee and asked its Canadian counterpart for a “full review.”

In a subsequent statement, the COC agreed that the staffer, which it described as “a non-accredited member” of the support team, was “believed to have been using a drone to record the New Zealand women’s football team during practice.”

The episode occurred approximately 300 miles southeast of Paris in Saint-Étienne, where Canada and New Zealand will square off in a group-stage match Friday to open their Olympic campaigns.

A Saint-Étienne law enforcement official said in a statement Wednesday (via a translation by the Canada Broadcasting Corp.) that, during a search of Lombardi’s hotel room, police seized the drone and video analysis devices. Lombardi was said to have told police that “the videos enabled him to learn the tactics of the opposing team.” He was tried and given a suspended sentence of eight months’ imprisonment, per the official.

During an online media session Wednesday, the head of the COC said that after his organization was first made aware of the drone-related arrest on Monday, it sought to ascertain whether any other recordings were made of the New Zealand team or any other opponent. Through discussions with Priestman and other Canadian soccer officials, Olympic committee CEO David Shoemaker said, it was revealed that a previous drone recording had been taken of another New Zealand practice.

Priestman said “unequivocally,” per Shoemaker, that she did not know the recordings had been taken. He added that the recording remained “solely” in possession of the drone operator.

“At this point, we endeavored to develop sanctions that reflected the seriousness of the behavior, and that would ensure the opening match this week could be played respecting the principles of fair play,” Shoemaker said. “Though we are all disheartened by this incident, we thank Canada Soccer for being open and transparent with us throughout the process so far.”

Suggesting that some observers might take issue with the punishments handed to the soccer team by the COC, Shoemaker said, “We believe that these actions and the mandatory ethics education that we have imposed at least mitigate any advantage Canada may have had, or be seen to have had against New Zealand football.”

“Though the COC wants to see Team Canada on the podium as much as anyone,” Shoemaker added, “winning the right way is the only way for us.”

In 2021, the Honduran men’s team halted a practice in Toronto ahead of a World Cup qualifying match against Canada after reportedly spotting a drone.

The NZOC said Tuesday it was “deeply shocked and disappointed” by the incident in Saint-Étienne. The national Olympic body added that it was “committed to upholding the integrity and fairness of the Olympic Games.”

FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, said in a statement Wednesday that it has “opened proceedings” against Priestman, Lombardi, Mander and Canada Soccer for potential violations of its disciplinary code and of Olympic regulations. FIFA said the matter would be submitted for consideration by its disciplinary committee in the coming days.

Amid a wide array of safety measures implemented for this year’s Olympics, French security forces are intercepting an average of six drones a day around staging areas for the Summer Games, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said Tuesday (via Agence France-Presse).

Suggesting that some of the drones were flown by “tourists,” Attal said: “That’s why it’s important to remind people of the rules. There’s a ban on flying drones.”