How the Canadian women's soccer team can stay alive at the 2024 ...

A ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport is expected only hours before Canada's do-or-die game against Colombia

Published Jul 29, 2024  •  Last updated 4 hours ago  •  3 minute read

Canadian Vanessa Gilles celebrates after beating France in Saint-Etienne, France., on July 28, 2024. Photo by Tullio M. Puglia /Getty Images

NICE, France – Members of the Canadian women’s soccer team should know if an appeal filed on their behalf has succeeded by midday on Wednesday, hours before they step onto the field for a potentially must-win game against Colombia at the 2024 Olympics.

The Canadian Olympic Committee and Canada Soccer officially appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday, asking it to examine the six-point deduction FIFA leveled after a member of Canada’s coaching staff was caught spying on an opponent. In a news release, the Canadians claim the sanction “unfairly punishes the athletes” for actions in which they had no part.

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In a separate news release on Monday, the court said the Canadians were not appealing the one-year suspensions of head coach Bev Priestman, assistant Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi. According to the court, Canada is seeking to either cancel or reduce the six-point deduction.

According to the release, a hearing with the parties will likely be held on Tuesday, with a final decision issued by midday on Wednesday.

Canada is scheduled to play Colombia that night — 9 p.m. local time — in Nice, France.

“To the athletes on Canada’s women’s soccer team, we stand with you and we are cheering for you every step of the way,” two-time Canadian Olympic trampoline champion Rosie MacLennan wrote on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

The Canadian Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission also offered support: “Despite the overwhelming challenges of the last few days, you have continued to play with courage, heart, and an unwavering spirit.”

FIFA docked the Canadian team six points on Saturday. Priestman, Lombardi and Mander were suspended from soccer-related activities for one year. Canada Soccer was fined $313,000.

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It all stemmed from French authorities tracking a drone that had been spotted flying over a New Zealand women’s team practice. It has been reported authorities tracked the drone to Lombardi, who was later given an eight-month suspended sentence.

“So now we know what helped fuel Canadian soccer’s rise from pretender to global contender,” Kevin Baxter wrote in The Los Angeles Times. “It wasn’t just grit, camaraderie and good coaching that got the country into the men’s World Cup for the first this century and earned its women’s team three straight trips to the Olympic medal stand.

“There were also drones involved.”

After a stunning 2-1 win over France Sunday, Canada must beat Colombia on Wednesday (3 p.m., EST) to book a berth in the final-eight knockout stage of the Olympic tournament.

Even if the sanction sticks, Canada (2-0 but currently with zero points) can still win the group with a win and a New Zealand (0-2) upset of France (1-1) in a concurrently-played match Wednesday at Lyon.

A Canada win and a France win or draw with the Kiwis will bump the Canadians to second in the group. A Colombia win or a draw will send Canada home – barring a successful appeal.

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So far, the Canadians’ on-field performance has been just as dramatic as the off-field controversy. The squad rallied in both games from a goal down and got a late winner from centre back Vanessa Gilles in the final minutes of injury time to subdue the French.

“We are a special group and we showed that once again,” said Ashley Lawrence, the 29-year-old defender. “We’ve been in these types of situations quite often – going down a goal in major tournaments. We’re used to it. It just shows the character of this team. We believe.

“We kept fighting, kept pushing. Vanessa scoring that goal with her left foot in the last minutes of the game, who can predict that? It shows the belief we have in every single person (and) anyone can make that difference on any given day.”

A quick exit despite a winning record would be a regrettable missed opportunity for a program looking to medal in its fourth straight Olympics.

“I think this is the best team we’ve ever had,” Canadian captain Jessie Fleming said before a recent training session. “This team has always responded in these big games. It brings out the fight in us – that Canadian resilience and grit.”

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