SAINT-ÉTIENNE, France (AFP) — Despite a recent espionage scandal, Canadian defender Vanessa Gilles affirmed before Thursday’s 2-1 victory over New Zealand that her team “has not cheated.” The incident has caused significant controversy at the Paris Olympics.
On Wednesday, Canada’s assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joey Lombardi were sent home from the tournament following reports that Lombardi had used a drone to spy on New Zealand’s training sessions. Lombardi also received an eight-month suspended prison sentence for the breach. FIFA has since launched disciplinary proceedings against Canada.
In response to the scandal, Gilles expressed the emotional toll on the team, stating, “It hasn’t been easy. As athletes, it caused a lot of emotion, frustration, and humiliation as this does not reflect our values and what we want to represent as Olympic athletes.”
She emphasized that the scandal does not align with Canadian values or the spirit of the Olympics, which stand for fair play. “We are not cheating. It was very tough, but we knew how to come together,” she said.
Despite the controversy, Canada secured a comeback win against New Zealand with goals from Arsenal forwards Chloe Lacace and Evelyne Viens. Coach Bev Priestman, who was absent from the game due to the scandal, is expected to return for Canada’s next match against France on Sunday.
New Zealand coach Michael Maine did not attribute his team’s defeat solely to the spying incident but expressed disappointment and raised questions about the circumstances.
New Zealand will face Colombia on Sunday, needing a strong performance to advance to the quarter-finals.
