Both teams huddle up as Canada celebrate their 2-1 win over Football Ferns' during the Paris Olympics 2024. Photo: Copyright © Photosport Ltd 2024 www.photosport.nz
The former assistant coach of Team Canada has for the first time revealed her involvement in the drone spying scandal that rocked last year's Paris Olympics.
During the football tournament in France it was discovered that Canada had used a drone to spy on a Football Ferns training session in Saint-Etienne.
The drone-citing was reported by the New Zealanders to police and the operator was arrested.
A number of the Canadian staff were sent home including head coach Bev Priestman.
Assistant coach Jasmine Mander was also sent home and has now written about her experience in The Players' Tribune, a sports media company that provides athletes with a platform to connect directly with their fans.
"I realize there are still a lot of questions swirling around about exactly what happened at the Paris Olympics last summer," Mander wrote.
"It's taken me more than a year just to open up about it all to people beyond my family and closest friends. But as one of five members of the technical staff at that tournament, I want to set the record straight, take accountability, and tell you my side of the story.
A drone with camera. Photo: Chris Symes / PHOTOSPORT
Mander wrote about receiving a message from the drone operator while he was in police custody and outlined the timeline of the events as they unfolded.
"I definitely could have done more to avoid this scandal for everyone, and I'm sorry that I didn't, especially as a Canadian," Mander said.
She then went on to explain why she never raised questions about why they were trying to watch other teams.
Mander said she understood at some level it was "immoral' but as a new member of the the coaching staff she thought it might be normal at this level.
"I was 25 when I started at Canada Soccer, and I didn't want to be that person saying, "Guys, listen… should we be doing this?"
"We should never have tried to watch another team train. We're Canada. We should have played by the rules."
Canada were deducted six points in the tournament and fined $430,000 while Priestman, Mander and drone operator Joey Lombardi were banned for one year.
New Zealand lost all three games at the Olympic tournament, while Canada won all three and progressed to the quarter-finals, despite having six points deducted. They lost to Germany in the last eight.
It was announced in July that Priestman has been appointed as the coach of the Wellington-based Phoenix's women's team for the next two seasons.
Priestman and her family moved back to New Zealand last year. Her wife played for New Zealand and her son is a Kiwi.
Speaking about the drone scandal, she said she regretted what happened and felt unsafe in her home after being expelled from the Olympics.
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