“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 …