The case of spy with a drone to the women's football team New Zealand shook the international sports community. An unaccredited member of the Canadian Olympic team, Joseph Lombardiwas sentenced to eight months in prison but without imprisonment, after being caught spying on the New Zealand team with a drone. The sentence also includes the confiscation of the drone used.

The incident occurred last Monday, when police officers guarding the Auguste-Dury stadium in the eastern French town of Saint Etienne, They detected the presence of a stationary drone on the playing field. The local train station France Blue reported the arrest of Lombardi, 43, after being tipped off by officers.

The prosecutor of Saint Etienne, David Charmatzgave details of the case, revealing that examination of the drone showed that, in addition to having registered the New Zealand team On Monday, he had done it two days earlier in another stadium in the area. Charmatz stressed that “The spying was systematic” and that the recordings were clearly intended to obtain inside information on the New Zealand team's tactics.

After detecting the drone, New Zealand coach decides to suspend training and immediately report the situation to the authorities, as explained by the New Zealand Olympic Committee.

Lombardi is a technical analyst for the Canadian teamalthough I didn't have official accreditation for the Paris Olympics. This situation has left the Canadian team in a compromised position, since the lack of accreditation calls into question the legitimacy of its actions in the sporting event.

The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) responded quickly and said in a statement that Lombardi “will be sent immediately to Canada”. In addition, the measure affected Jasmine Mandrethe team's assistant coach, for whom Lombardi worked, because she too will be sent back to Canada.

Beverly, head coach of the Canadian team Priestexpressed his disappointment and decided to withdraw from the match against New Zealand, which will be played this Thursday. This decision has generated uncertainty about the preparation and mood of the Canadian team before this important match.

“I am ultimately responsible for the delivery of our program. Therefore, to underscore our team’s commitment to integrity, I have decided to voluntarily stop officiating Thursday's match. “In a spirit of responsibility, I do this by taking into account the interests of both teams and ensuring that everyone feels that the sporting spirit of this match is respected,” he explained in a statement.

The COC also noted that Soccer Canada staff must “follow mandatory ethics training”, a measure that aims to rectify inappropriate behaviour and ensure that ethical standards are maintained in future competitions.

After the match against New ZealandCanadians will face the French team Sunday in their second match and will close the group stage against Colombia Wednesday, July 31.

Please note that in terms of drones, the French authorities They intercept about half a dozen of them every day. around the Paris Olympic Games facilities on the eve of the opening next Friday.

The information on the average number of interceptions over the last ten days was given by the French Prime Minister, Gabriel Attalwho, during a visit to the Villacoublay air base, from where action against the intrusion of drones is coordinated, insisted on the fact that “We must not miss anything.” He said that on Sunday several unauthorized drones were detected near the Olympic Village, which houses about 14,500 people, including athletes and members of their teams.