Canada must repair reputation after drone spying scandal, says former player

“We look really awful now.”

Helen Stoumbos, a former member of the Canadian women’s soccer team, is concerned about the long-term perception of her sport.

“Everybody who thinks about Canada Soccer thinks about this fiasco,” she told CTV News on Wednesday.

She is referring to a Canadian employee who was caught using a drone to spy on another team’s training before the start of the Olympics, resulting in a $300,000 fine, the suspension of three team members and a six-point deduction by FIFA.

On Wednesday, a court of arbitration for sport rejected an appeal by the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canada Soccer to overturn the punishment. A FIFA investigation uncovered an email from a Canadian performance analyst objecting to “spying” on other teams, while another message suggested the practice was widespread. Canada Soccer has since announced it has hired a Toronto lawyer to conduct an outside investigation into the drone incident.

Response from a former player

Stoumbos, who lives in Guelph, Ontario, said the six-point penalty will be a major disadvantage for a team that was chasing its second straight gold medal at the Games.

“It was like FIFA saying you were effectively thrown out of the tournament, without actually being thrown out of the tournament.”

Stoumbos previously played 35 games for the women’s national team and scored her first ever goal at a World Cup in 1995. She is now inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame.

“You work so hard as a player,” Stoumbos said. “To play there and think that those opportunities and chances were affected by stupid decisions made by your staff, the staff that is supposed to have your best interests at heart.”

Impact at local level

Many players and fans back home are now wondering what the next step is for the national football program.

Waterloo United is one of two local clubs licensed by Soccer Canada.

“When I heard that Canada actually did that against New Zealand, it was quite a shock,” said coordinator Maja Lukambo.

“It could have a negative connotation that we had to cheat to get through,” added Alicia McMurren, a summer coach with the organization.

As a result of the scandal, Canada’s Minister of Sport has announced that the federal government will stop funding the program.

In Waterloo they are not worried about the financial consequences.

“Every club is going to rely on pay-to-play anyway,” Lukambo said. “Relying on Canada’s sanctions with the men’s team and women’s team is not going to have that much of an impact on youth development.”

Both said there is still a lot of local interest from children who want to play football.

What’s next

Stoumbos said the focus now must be on rebuilding Canada’s reputation.

“We need to dig deeper into what the culture is, and why this is happening,” she explained. “I hope they take this opportunity to see what the shortcomings are and how they build on them.”

The women’s team has already proven that it can overcome adversity by winning their first two Olympic Games.

With a 1-0 win over Colombia on Wednesday, the women’s team now advance to the last eight.