Canada Soccer calls for disciplinary action against former coach Herdman after drone-spying
Canada Soccer is seeking disciplinary action against former men’s head coach John Herdman, and says former women’s head coach Bev Priestman as well as two other staff will no longer be working for the organization, after a third-party investigation into illegal drone use at the Paris Olympics.
The national soccer federation is also taking steps it says will deter spying in the future – including contractually mandating staff to report unethical behaviour, imposing ethics training for coaches and staff and creating an independent audit and compliance committee to improve oversight.
The changes were announced Tuesday after a months-long external investigation by lawyer Sonia Regenbogen, who reviewed evidence from people across the organization, including women’s and men’s national team coaches, players, head office staff, former employees, its CEO and the board chair.
Ms. Regenbogen’s investigation began after French police arrested Canada Soccer analyst Joey Lombardi on July 22 for using a drone to record the New Zealand women’s practice just days before the Canadians were to play against them. His boss, Jasmine Mander, was also sent home, and followed shortly by Ms. Priestman.
Although Mr. Herdman had nothing to do with the women’s national team at the Paris Games, in Canada Soccer’s submissions to soccer’s governing body, FIFA, it said the spying regime began during his time as the women’s head coach. He coached the team from 2011 to 2018.
Ms. Priestman, Ms. Mander and Mr. Lombardi were suspended for one year by FIFA and “will not be returning” to Canada Soccer, the federation said in a statement. The search for a new head coach for the women’s national team will start shortly, it added.
Reached Tuesday, a lawyer for Ms. Mander said she had nothing to say at this time, but may comment after her review of the report summary. Ms. Priestman, Mr. Lombardi and Mr. Herdman could not be reached for comment.
Kevin Blue, Canada Soccer’s CEO, said the investigation will help the federation “set a new course” after allegations that spying was an ingrained part of the organization for many years.
Mr. Herdman took over the men’s team in 2018, before leaving in 2023 to coach Toronto FC.
Mr. Herdman, who led the women to two Olympic medals and helped the men’s side end a 30-year drought at the World Cup, did not participate in the investigation. Canada Soccer said Ms. Regenbogen invited him, through his lawyer, to be interviewed, but it could not be arranged due to “scheduling issues.”
Mr. Herdman has previously said he was “highly confident” no one on his staff used drones to spy for Canada at the biggest tournaments, including the Olympics and World Cup. Canada Soccer says it has “initiated a proceeding with respect to Mr. Herdman under its disciplinary code,” but did not immediately clarify how that might affect the coach, who has left the organization.
Toronto FC is a member association of Canada Soccer, and is governed by the organization. In a statement, Alejandra Rueda, a spokesperson for Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which owns Toronto FC, said it was reviewing the report.
“MLSE is in receipt of the public report from Canada Soccer today outlining the findings of the external investigation into scouting practices and potential involvement of current members of the Toronto FC staff. The organization will thoroughly review and process the report’s findings over the coming days. Both MLSE and Toronto FC will reserve any further comment until that review process has been completed.”
Ms. Regenbogen’s probe revealed the Canadians used drones twice at the Paris Games, including on July 20, when coaches reviewed footage of another New Zealand practice. She found no evidence of cheating at the Tokyo Olympics, where the women won gold, however, and said an allegation of drone usage by a member of the men’s team coaching staff to film the practice of an opponent at Copa América in June, 2024, was not substantiated.
Mr. Blue said he wanted Canada Soccer to be a federation that Canadians could “trust and are proud of, and one that is not defined by unfortunate actions of the past.”
“The findings of the independent investigator reveal that the drone incident in Paris was a symptom of a past pattern of an unacceptable culture and insufficient oversight within the national teams. This is no longer part of our operations,” he said, in a statement. “In fact, the investigation findings strengthen our resolve to continue implementing changes that are needed to improve Canada Soccer, in all respects, and to do so with urgency.”
The Globe and Mail previously reported that Canada Soccer’s top executive was told that analysts were under pressure to spy for the senior women’s team nearly a year before the cheating scandal unravelled at the Paris Olympics.
Jason deVos, who in August, 2023, was the interim general secretary of Canada Soccer, was told directly by a staff member that contract-based analysts with the national program were being instructed – sometimes against their objections – to clandestinely observe opposing teams, materials reviewed by The Globe and Mail show. Mr. deVos, who now works for Toronto FC, did not respond to interview requests.
The materials reviewed by The Globe show that the staffer told Mr. deVos that the analysts felt like they couldn’t say no.
In the aftermath of the incident, FIFA publicly released documentation it received from Canada Soccer about what the national organization knew about this tactic. Emails released by FIFA showed that in March, Ms. Priestman wrote to a Canada Soccer human resources consultant, Mark Thompson, looking for advice on how to deal with a video specialist named Morgan Drew who refused to participate in what Mr. Drew characterized as “spying.”
“It’s something the analyst has always done and I know there is a whole operation on the men’s side with regards to it,” Ms. Priestman wrote in an e-mail dated March 20.
This article was first reported by The Globe and Mail
