Olympic Games football tournament hit by Marcelo Bielsa-esque ‘spygate’ controversy
Sean Carter Kristov
The Leeds United ‘spygate’ saga was one of the stories of the 2018/19 season in English football.
The incident saw the former Whites head coach admit that his staff had spied on their opponents all season after a member of his backroom staff was spotted outside the Derby County training ground before the two sides were due to meet in the Championship.
This led to Bielsa holding a remarkable press conference where he explained exactly why he had done it and went through his entire pre-match analysis routine in breathtaking detail.
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Bielsa would end the press conference by ultimately admitting that he only did it ‘because I think I’m stupid’, but it would appear that these tactics have been in play at the Olympic Games.
The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) announced on Tuesday that an assistant women’s football coach and an analyst had been sent home following accusations that they had spied on an opponent.
This came after the New Zealand team said that a drone had been spotted overhead during a training session on Tuesday, and that it had been operated by a staff member from the Canada women’s side.
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Canada coach Bev Priestman (Image credit: Getty)
“Team support members immediately reported the incident to police, leading to the drone operator, who has been identified as a support staff member of the wider Canadian Women’s football team, to be detained,” the New Zealand Olympic Committee said in a statement.
The COC confirmed that drones had twice been used ahead of the two sides’ opening match on Thursday and that assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi had been sent home.
Canada head coach Bev Priestman, who led her side to the gold medal at the last Olympic Games in Tokyo, will not coach Thursday game and the team’s staff will all undergo mandatory ethics training.
“The Canadian Olympic Committee stands for fair-play and we are shocked and disappointed,’’ the committee said in a statement. “We offer our heartfelt apologies to New Zealand Football, to all the players affected and to the New Zealand Olympic Committee.’’
