Canada needs to rebuild its reputation after drone spying scandal, says former player

“We really look terrible now.”

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

“Anybody that thinks of Canada Soccer is going to think of this fiasco,” she told CTV News Wednesday.

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

On Wednesday, a sports arbitration court rejected an appeal by the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canada Soccer to reverse the penalty. An investigation, by FIFA, turned up an email by a Canadian performance analyst who objected to “spying” on other teams, while another message suggested the practice was widespread. Canada Soccer has since announced it’s hired a Toronto lawyer to conduct an external review of the drone incident.

Former player’s reaction

Stoumbos, who lives in Guelph, Ont., said the six-point penalty will really hurt a team that was looking for their second consecutive gold medal at the Games.

“That was like FIFA saying you’re basically kicked out of the tournament, without being kicked out of the tournament.”

Stoumbos previously made 35 appearances with the women’s national team, scoring its first ever goal at a World Cup in 1995. She’s now in Canada’s Soccer Hall of Fame.

“You work so hard as a player,” Stoumbos said. “To play there, and to think those chances and opportunities have been affected by silly decision by your staff, the staff that’s supposed to look out for your best interests.”

Impact at the local level

Many players and fans back home are now questioning what’s next for the national soccer program.

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

“To hear that Canada is actually doing that against New Zealand was kind of shocking,” said coordinator Maja Lukambo.

“It could kind of bring that 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 said the federal government will withhold funding for the program.

In Waterloo, they’re not worried about the financial impact.

“Every club depends on pay-to-play anyway,” said Lukambo. “To depend on Canada’s sanction with the men’s team and women’s team won’t affect as much with youth development.”

Both said there’s still a lot of local interest from kids wanting to play soccer.

What’s next

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

“We have to start looking deeper into what the culture of it is, and why this has been happening,” she explained. “I hope they take this opportunity to see what deficiencies are there and how they build on those.”

The women’s team is already proving it can overcome adversity by winning their first two Olympic games.

With a 1-0 win over Columbia on Wednesday, the women’s team now moves on to the final eight.