The use of a drone by Canadian women's soccer analyst Joseph Lombardi to film a New Zealand women's soccer training session prior to the women's soccer group stage match at the Paris Olympics sparked a lot of attention.
FIFA
(FIFA) issued a statement in response, announcing the filing of charges against those involved.
prosecutions
Lawsuit.
In a statement, FIFA said: "The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has instituted proceedings against the Canadian soccer team, Ms. Pressman, Mr. Lombardi and Ms. Mande for a possible breach of Article 13 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and Rule 6.1 of the Rules of Procedure of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad Paris 2024 - Final. The matter will be referred to the Disciplinary Committee for consideration in the coming days."
The incident occurred prior to the women's soccer group stage match at the Paris Olympics, when Canadian women's soccer analyst Joseph Lombardi was caught using a drone to film a New Zealand women's soccer training session. The New Zealand women's soccer team lodged a formal protest, arguing that the behavior was a serious breach of sportsmanship and fair play.
Any violation of fair play and ethical conduct will be dealt with seriously in accordance with article 13 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and article 6.1 of the Paris Olympic Final Rules. The FIFA Disciplinary Committee will conduct a full review of the matter and issue a ruling in the coming days.
In the aftermath of the incident, the Canadian Olympic Committee acted swiftly to expel Joseph Lombardi and his superior assistant coach Jasmin Mander from the Canadian women's Olympic soccer team. Priestman, the head coach of the Canadian women's soccer team, also issued a statement announcing that he was "voluntarily withdrawing" from the match against New Zealand as a sign of seriousness and reflection on the incident.
