“Send the whole team home”: Why Canada Soccer should receive ultimate punishment for cheating at Paris 2024

If you're unaware of the situation – not once but twice, the Canadian football team have been found guilty of flying a drone over the Football Ferns to film their training, bringing with it allegations of spying.

But you can forget the word ‘allegedly’ here – they’ve been caught out twice.

The NZ Olympic Committee have responded to the matter:

“The NZOC acknowledges the sanctions and reinforces the seriousness of the sports integrity breach as we continue to seek a full review of the situation,” they said.

“We are also supporting New Zealand Football as they seek to urgently expedite the matter through the FIFA Disciplinary Committee. The NZOC will ensure the IOC Integrity Unit is updated.

“With just over 24 hours until the New Zealand athletes kick off in their Opening match of the Olympic Games, we acknowledge the disruption this has caused players and team management, and continue to offer wellbeing and performance support assistance.”

The sanctions include the removal of two Canadian team officials, assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi, sending them home immediately. Head coach Bev Priestman will also stand down from coaching the match against New Zealand on Friday (NZ time).

Lombardi has been detained by police and charged; he's got an eight-month suspended sentence over this because of security concerns around the Olympic Games.

But this, let's not shy away from it, is 100% cheating. It is blatant cheating from the Canadians, and in my mind, there should be no room for sending home an assistant coach or a member of the administration staff – the whole team should be going home.

Kick the Canadian women's football team out of the Olympic Games.

This cheating had to have come from up high. That is Priestman, she's the head coach – that's where this sits. Send the whole team home.

If this was doping, they’d be going home. If it was racism, they'd be going home. Cheating is no different.

The Canadian women's football team have been found to be cheats. They should be sent home; they have no place at the Olympic Games.