An inside look at Canada Soccer’s ethical crisis

For years, Canada’s women’s soccer program was a beacon of success, claiming Olympic medals and inspiring the nation. But beneath its surface, a darker story has emerged — one of spying, intimidation, and unethical leadership.  

It began to unravel in Paris, days before the opening of the 2024 Summer Olympics. As the Canadian women’s team prepared to defend their gold medal, a scandal broke that would shake the foundation of Canada Soccer.

The spotlight landed on head coach Beverly Priestman, once celebrated for her tactical brilliance, now accused of fostering a toxic environment and engaging in unethical practices that tarnished the team’s reputation.  

Investigations revealed troubling behaviour within Canada Soccer’s leadership. Under Priestman, analysts and staff reported increasing pressure to push ethical boundaries. Emails unearthed during the investigation showed that Priestman, along with assistant coach Jasmine Mander, orchestrated a spying operation on rival teams during the Olympics. Staff were directed to deploy drones to record opponents’ training sessions, despite explicit bans from Olympic organizers due to security concerns.  

The operation unraveled when New Zealand’s women’s team spotted a drone hovering over their practice field. French authorities traced the drone to a Canada Soccer staff member, Joseph Lombardi, leading to an arrest and disciplinary actions. 

FIFA banned Priestman, Mander, and Lombardi for a year, marking one of the darkest moments in Canadian sports since the 1988 Ben Johnson doping scandal.  

The fallout didn’t stop at Paris. A four-month investigation by The Globe and Mail, involving interviews with dozens of current and former staff, players, and consultants, painted a broader picture of dysfunction within Canada Soccer. Leadership turnover had plagued the organization, with four CEOs and four board chairs cycling through from 2020 to 2024. This instability left critical issues unaddressed, including the toxic culture within the women’s program.  

The board, composed of volunteer directors, was criticized for being ill-equipped to monitor soccer operations effectively. One former board member admitted their expertise was better suited to financial oversight and growing the game’s popularity than managing team dynamics or ethical compliance. Meanwhile, Canada Soccer’s executives, who had closer contact with the senior teams, failed to implement the checks and balances necessary to prevent misconduct.  

Ethics expert Max Bazerman of Harvard Business School argued that such lapses foster a permissive environment for unethical behaviour. 

“The argument that ‘Everybody’s doing it,’ is a remarkably common justification for unethical behaviour,” he said. “In an organization with poor ethical culture and little oversight, cheating is almost encouraged.” 

Staff members who refused to participate in the spying operation faced isolation and professional repercussions, further eroding morale.  

Despite the off-field chaos, the women’s team performed admirably on the pitch, winning all three of their group-stage matches and making it to the quarterfinals against Germany. But the six-point deduction imposed by FIFA for the drone scandal ultimately cost them their chance at a medal. 

The loss left players visibly devastated, with star forward Evelyne Viens expressing fears that the scandal would overshadow their accomplishments.  

“We don’t play for the money. We play for our badge and representing our country and making people proud,” Viens said in a podcast interview after the games. “I just really hope the world doesn’t think we’re cheaters.”  

Ottawa lawyer Erin Durant’s report, commissioned in the wake of the scandal, highlighted systemic issues within Canada Soccer, including a lack of training for board members and insufficient oversight of team operations. 

In response, the organization has announced mandatory training for all staff working with national teams to improve governance and ethical standards.  

Rebuilding Canada Soccer’s reputation will not be easy. For a program that once symbolized Canadian pride and excellence, the road to redemption will require more than surface-level reforms. It will demand a cultural transformation — one that prioritizes integrity and accountability above all else.