The Canadian women’s soccer team has appealed the deduction of six points from its Olympic group after a drone was used to spy on an opposing team’s training session. However, she has not appealed coach Bev Priestman’s one-year suspension.
The final decision from the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canada Soccer’s appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) is expected around 11:00 a.m. BST on Wednesday.
A Cas statement on Monday said Canada was seeking a decision to “either eliminate or reduce the points deduction.”
Canada Soccer said the appeal was based on “the disproportionality of the sanction.”
The governing body added that in its view the points deduction “unjustly penalizes the athletes for actions in which they were not involved and goes far beyond restoring fairness in the game against New Zealand.”
Canada sits third in Group A with zero points after the deduction, but a win over Colombia in the final group game would ensure qualification for the quarter-finals.
FIFA fined the Canadian Football Association (CSA) £175,720 forbidden the English-born coach – which had already been removed as Olympic head coach – on Saturday.
Flying a drone over New Zealand training was a “breach” of Fifa principles, the football association said.
CSA officials Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander were also suspended by FIFA for a year.
Canada, led by assistant coach Andy Spence in Priestman’s absence, defeated New Zealand and hosts France in the first two Group A games.
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