The decision to sack Priestman comes after an independent review was launched into her role in the drone control scandal at the Paris Summer Olympics.
Assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi were also dismissed as Canadian Soccer released the findings of the investigation.
The women’s soccer team has been embroiled in scandal after New Zealand raised concerns about a drone flying near their training ground while the team was preparing to compete in the Olympic tournament. FIFA fined Canadian Soccer $228,000 and stripped the team of six points in the standings.
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Canada’s coach Beverly Priestman gestures during a soccer training session ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, July 17, 2023.(Scott Barbour/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
FIFA also suspended Priestman, Mandro and Lombardi for one year. Despite the penalty, Canada managed to advance to the group. Germany knocked Canada out of the Olympic tournament in the quarterfinals.
An investigation by lawyer Sonia Regenbogen of Mathews, Dinsdale & Clark found no evidence that the Canadian players had viewed the drone footage. However, it found that assistant coaches and other support staff «did not feel they could challenge the head coach’s authority.»
CANADIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE SAYS SPYING SCANDAL COULD DAMAGE TOKYO WOMEN’S GOLD MEDAL
Fox News Digital could not immediately reach Priestman for comment. Priestman led Canada to a gold medal at the Tokyo Games. The review found that no drones were being used in Japan, but that two national team coaches were conducting inappropriate surveillance «ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics».
Beverly Priestman gestures during the quarter-final – 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup between Canada and Costa Rica at BMO Stadium on March 2, 2024 in Los Angeles(Omar Vega/Getty Images)
«The independent investigator’s findings reveal that the Paris drone incident was symptomatic of a past pattern of unacceptable culture and insufficient oversight within national teams,» Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue said in a statement.
«This is no longer part of our operations. In fact, the findings of the investigation strengthen our resolve to continue to implement the changes necessary to improve Canadian soccer in all respects, and to do so urgently. While the independent investigation has been concluded, there is more to be done , to set things on a new path.»
Beverly Priestman reacts during the women’s gold medal match between Canada and Sweden on day fourteen of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Yokohama International Stadium on August 6, 2021 in Yokohama, Japan.(Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
The review also found that allegations suggesting the men’s team used drones to spy on opponents at the Copa America were unfounded. However, he identified «potential wrongdoing» by former Canadian men’s coach John Herdman, who was not interviewed due to scheduling issues.
«Potential violations of the Canadian Soccer Code of Conduct and Ethics by the former head coach of the men’s national team were identified,» Canada Soccer said in a summary of the investigation. «Pursuant to Soccer Canada’s Disciplinary Code, disciplinary proceedings will be initiated to address these potential violations.»
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Herdman left Canadian Soccer last year and is currently the coach of Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC.
«The organization will thoroughly review and process the findings of the report in the coming days. Both MLSE (Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment) and Toronto FC will reserve any further comment until the review process is complete,» Toronto FC said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
WELLESLEY – They wanted no part of it. «My bad,» they thought.
After Wellesley High’s girls soccer team cruised to a 3-0 win over Newton North on a chilly Tuesday night, the Raiders didn’t mind posing with a Division 1 Final Four banner. But touching the trophy that goes with it? No deal.
2. Wellesley led for 78 minutes and beat North for the third time this fall. The Raiders scored three nice goals to win by 17th time, and then act like they’ve been here before.
They want another trophy next week.
«Dave told us it was bad mojo,» senior captain Annie Comella said. «We just didn’t want to mess with it.»
The Bay State Conference MVP was referring to Wellesley head coach Dave Wainwright, who has plenty of experience on the field. His Natick team won the state title a year ago, but the Needham boys lacrosse team he coaches in the spring captured the Final Four trophy, losing in the finals to St. John’s Prep.
«So I was like, ‘we’re not going to touch him right now,’» Wainwright said. «If you don’t have to touch it, why not?»
Wellesley (17-3-1) really hit a high on Tuesday, taking the lead in the opening two minutes when Leila Eccher tapped in an Ellery Gerhart corner kick. The early lead allowed the Raiders to relax after beating their Bay State Conference opponent twice in the regular season.
«Our big goal is to come out really intense,» Comella said. «In this case, we didn’t want to be a second-half team.»
Wellesley beat North 4-2 and 3-0 earlier in the season, and Wainwright tried to guard against complacency.
«That was 1,000 percent part of the fear coming into today: We’re getting too comfortable,» he said. «We sent a message early coming out of the gate that we were approaching them the right way.»
Peyton Keyes, also a senior captain, made it 2-0 after Comella fed her a free kick deep in the north field. Keyes’ cross was cleared by goalkeeper Alissa Kraus. But Eccher flicked the ball back to Keyes, who made a couple of moves before firing a left-footed shot into the far corner of the goal.
Keyes said the play was one of many the team chooses on the restart.
“This is a limit, not a rule. We have some free will in these kinds of shows,” she said. “Annie and I have already talked about it. We saw that there was a lot of space for their defense.»
Comella, who scored 28 goals in the regular season, got the final payoff when she also shot with her left. Hers, however, was from long range and netted the far corner with 15 minutes to go.
She said she didn’t put much thought into the game.
«You play your best when you use your instincts,» Comella said. “So I don’t think about my hitting as much when I play my best games, so I just used my instinct and hit it. You can too.»
The back line of Grace Sullivan, Lucy Thornton and Ava O’Grady played well in front of Wellesley goalkeeper Caroline Keyes as the Raiders earned their fourth shutout of the season.
Wellesley will play Thursday’s King Philip/Brookline winner in the state semifinals. The Raiders beat Brookline twice in the regular season, 3-1 and 2-0. The Warriors and Raiders are two of five teams from the Bay State Conference to reach the Elite 8.
This level of play will likely elevate one of these BSC teams to a national title.
«It’s good to be in a competitive league for the regular season because it prepares us for the playoffs,» Comella said. «To be one of the dominant teams in this league is an expectation for us and we have much bigger goals that we want to fulfill.»
Tim Dumas is a multimedia reporter for the Daily News. He can be reached at tdumas@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimDumas.
As incidents of anti-Semitic and Islamophobic abuse rise across Europe, a soccer match between Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax Amsterdam sparked violence and a firestorm of controversy in the Dutch capital.
Investigators are still looking into exactly what happened before and after the game, but officials said it included «rioters who actively sought out Israeli fans to assault and attack them,» as well as rioting and violent acts by some Israeli fans.
Officials issued an emergency decree banning all protests in the city until Thursday, stepped up security at Jewish sites and banned the use of some face coverings.
This is what we know about how events unfolded.
Wednesday, Nov. 6
Maccabi Tel Aviv fans have started arriving for Europa League matches, Europe’s second biggest club football competition after the Champions League. (Israeli clubs have played in UEFA competitions since 1992.)
Amsterdam’s municipal safety committee said the match was not high-risk «from a footballing point of view» and that there was «no animosity» between the two sets of fans,according to an official report released on Tuesday. The committee said it consulted the police, teams, football hooliganism authorities and UEFA before making the assessment.
Ajax, the most successful Dutch team, has historically attracted supporters from Amsterdam’s Jewish community, and fans sometimes carry Star of David flags to matches. The club also has many Muslim fans.
While the evening passed relatively peacefully, police monitored aggressive messages on social media and messaging apps threatening Maccabi fans, according to a report by a group of officials known as the Triangle – Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema; René de Beukelaer, Chief City Prosecutor; and Police Chief Peter Holla.
They saw «a readiness to act and in a few cases to mobilize at a specific location,» the report added.
At around 11:00 p.m. local time (5:00 a.m. CET), four people were arrested after they painted pro-Palestinian graffiti at the Johan Cruyff Arena, where Thursday’s match was scheduled to take place, the report said.
About 1,200 police officers were deployed in the city.
Thursday, Nov. 7
Early Thursday, a video posted on X and geolocated by NBC News on Rokin, a main street in downtown Amsterdam, showed a crowd cheering as a man standing on a building’s canopy tore down a Palestinian flag.
Some in the crowd chanted «Ole» and «f— you Palestine.»
A police car then slowly drove by, and the fans moved out of the way. It is unclear whether the authorities took any further action.
Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in Amsterdam on Thursday.Jeroen Jumelet / EPA / EFE via Shutterstock
An official report on the incident said the group then split up, with some heading towards the city’s famous red-light district, shouting slogans. Some in the crowd were reportedly wearing masks.
Some were «taking off their belts» and attacked the taxi. Other taxis were «vandalized» nearby.
After online calls for «taxi drivers to mobilize» went out, some drivers headed to the Holland Casino, where 400 Israeli fans were reportedly present. The police took the fans away in buses.
Police escort Maccabi fans from Tel Aviv to the Amsterdam metro on Thursday.InterVision / AP
According to the report, «relatively small» clashes continued to break out around the casino.
Later, the Triangle discussed canceling the match, but found it «untenable» due to the large number of fans already in town.
At 1 p.m. local time, a large number of Maccabi fans gathered in the city’s central Dam Square, where «police were on standby,» according to the report.
Video shared on social media and geolocated by NBC News shows Maccabi fans chanting anti-Arab slogans in front of the national monument in the square.
Maccabi fans could later be seen chanting «Death to the Arabs» and «Long live the IDF». We’re going to fuck the Arabs,» as well as tearing up another Palestinian flag.
Pro-Palestinian groups initially planned to protest outside the Johan Cruyff Arena during the match, but Mayor Halsema said at a press conference on Friday that she had moved the demonstration to a remote location.
Amsterdam, like many cities around the world, has been the scene of large-scale protests against Israel’s war in Gaza, which has killed more than 43,000 people in the blockaded enclave, according to health officials. Israel’s invasion of Gaza followed the terrorist attacks by Hamas on October 7,in which about 1,200 people were killed and about 250 hostages were taken by Palestinian militants.
Maccabi Tel Aviv fans staged a pro-Israel demonstration in Amsterdam on Thursday.Mouneb Taim / Anadolu via Getty Images
Shortly before kick-off at 9pm local time (3pm CET), several videos posted on social media showed Maccabi fans jeering, whistling and lighting torches during a minute’s silence for victims of Spain’s deadly floods. The sign on the stadium read «In memory of the victims of the floods in Valencia.»
This led to a lot of criticism on social media, although several Israeli fans interviewed after the match said they did not hear the call for silence.
The match ended around 11pm local time (5pm EST). And after watching their team thrashed 5-0, many Maccabi fans returned to their hotels and downtown.
Friday, Nov. 8
Within an hour of the match ending, security collapsed.
The trouble was expected in part because of messages on social media «confirming that there are groups looking for a clash with Maccabi fans,» according to Tuesday’s report. Officials cited screenshots from messaging apps that called for «Jew hunting.»
Maccabi fans in the area were repeatedly attacked by pro-Palestinian «rioters who were captured and escaped,» according to the report. The police struggled to quell the violence, and some fans were seriously injured.
The report said that unlike traditional hooliganism, in which people associated with rival clubs fight each other, police work was made more difficult because rioters moved in «small groups, on foot, in scooters or cars to attack Maccabi fans. briefly and then disappear again.”
Video, verified by NBC News, showed a man hiding on the ground. «I’ll give you my money,» he said. His attacker shouted: “This is for children! For the children, mother—-r. Free Palestine now.”
Other videos showed people being kicked and beaten in the street. It was not immediately clear who the attackers or victims were.
Meanwhile, around midnight, a larger group of Maccabi fans were spotted in the Dam Square area.
«Some walk around with sticks in their hands and commit vandalism,» the report says.
A video recorded early Friday by Bender, a popular YouTube channel, shows a group of men, some wearing Maccabi fan colors, picking up pipes and boards from a construction site before chasing and beating the man.
Around 2:45 a.m., the Israeli ambassador contacted Mayor Halsema and said there was «a lot of anger» in Israel over the events in Amsterdam.
Videos posted on social media and verified by NBC News showed some Maccabi fans returning home to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport chanting, «Why is school out in Gaza? There are no more children there.”
The violence sparked international condemnation.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said he was «appalled by the anti-Semitic attacks».
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu compared the incident to Kristallnacht, or the «Night of Broken Glass,» on November 9, 1938, when Nazi Germany unleashed violent riots aimed at expelling the Jewish community and vandalizing their homes, synagogues and businesses.
Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, the US special envoy for monitoring and combating anti-Semitism, said the violence was «horribly reminiscent of a classic pogrom».
In a post on X, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called the images coming out of Amsterdam «horrific and very shameful for us in Europe.»
UEFA, which organizes the Europa League, condemned the violence and said it trusted the authorities to «identify and charge as many as possible those responsible for such acts».
A total of 62 people were arrested on suspicion of violent acts in public, vandalism and disturbing public order, according to the official report. Forty-nine of them were Dutch and 10 Israeli, and the nationality of three is unknown, the Triangle report says, adding that 45 were fined and four remained in prison. Two minors were «suspected of aggravated assault».
Sunday, Nov. 10
After 24 hours of relative peace, police detained 50 people at a pro-Palestinian rally for defying a ban on protests in Amsterdam. Another 340 people were loaded onto buses and dropped off on the outskirts of the city.
Police clashed with protesters during a demonstration on Dam Square in Amsterdam on Sunday.Robin van Lonkhuijsen / AFP – Getty Images
Authorities later extended the ban on protests until Thursday.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said he would attend the match between Israel and France on Thursday – in a bid to promote «brotherhood and solidarity» following the events in Amsterdam.
Meanwhile, Israel urged its citizens to avoid attending cultural and sporting events abroad in the coming week.
Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that Israel has intelligence that pro-Palestinian groups abroad plan to harm Israelis in cities in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium and other countries.
Monday, Nov. 11
After riots in Amsterdam on Monday night, broken windows on a tram.Mizzle Media / via Reuters
Due to high tensions, dozens of people set fire to a tram in Amsterdam on Monday night.
Video geolocated by NBC News shows the group throwing fireworks and other blunt objects at the streetcar, with some chanting «Jews are cancer.» Police said it was unclear who started the riots and whether they were connected to what happened last week.
Police announced on Monday that five new arrests had been made over the weekend. The five men, all residents of the Netherlands, aged between 18 and 37, are «suspected of public violence against persons on Thursday evening,» it said.
CHARLOTTE, NC (theACC.com) – The 2024 All-Atlantic Coast Conference men’s soccer team and award winners for the season were announced Wednesday after voting by the league’s 15 head coaches.
Notre Dame senior forward Matthew Roou was named ACC Offensive Player of the Year and Pitt junior linebacker Casper Svendby was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Clemson senior Joran Gerbet earned ACC Midfielder of the Year honors, while Duke graduate Wessel Speel was named ACC Goalkeeper of the Year. Clemson midfielder Ransford Gyan won the Rookie of the Year award. Pitt head coach Jay Vidovch has been named the ACC Coach of the Year by his peers for a record eighth time.
Roou was named first team All-ACC for the second straight season. The Germantown, Wisconsin native was also the only player to repeat as a first-team All-ACC honoree since 2023. Roou leads the ACC in goals (14), goals per game (0.82) and points (32) this season. , which is fourth in the national rankings in goals and sixth in goals per game and points. Four of his goals were game-winners.
Svendby is the league’s best defense as the Panthers have allowed just 0.82 goals per game, the fewest among league teams and 14th fewest in the country. He also scored three goals and added a pair of assists. The native of Drammen, Norway is in his first season with Pitt after spending two seasons in Dayton.
Gerbet had seven goals and eight assists while leading Clemson to the No. 2 seed for the 2024 ACC Men’s Soccer Championship. His 22 total points ranked fourth in the ACC and were the most among any midfielder in the league. Hailing from Valence, France, Gerbet was named to the All-ACC team for the second straight season after earning third-team honors in 2023.
Speel has a league-low 0.99 goals-against average and six shutouts this season for Duke, currently ranked No. 2 in the nation. A native of Utrecht, Netherlands, he started all 18 games for the Blue Devils in his first season after arriving as a graduate transfer from Hofstra.
Gyan has three goals and five assists for 11 points from the midfield position this season. A native of Sunyani, Ghana, Gyan played in all 18 of Clemson’s games, starting 15.
Vidovich, named ACC Coach of the Year for the eighth time, led Pitt to its first ACC regular season title this season. The Panthers have a 12-5-0 record, including a 6-2-0 mark in conference play, and are currently ranked No. 3 in the latest NCAA RPI. This is Vidovich’s third ACC Coach of the Year honor while at Pitt (2020, 2021); he also earned the honor in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2009 when he was Wake Forest’s head coach.
The semifinals of the 2024 ACC Men’s Soccer Championship will be held on Thursday, November 14 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina, with Virginia and Wake Forest facing off at 5:30 p.m. ET, followed by California playing Clemson at approximately 8 p.m. hours. ET. The ACC Network will televise both games. The championship game will be televised from WakeMed Soccer Park on ESPNU on Sunday, Nov. 17 at noon ET.
In Tuesday’s latest NCAA RPI, ACC teams hold 12 of the top 50 spots, led by Pitt at No. 3, followed by Virginia (6), Duke (8), Stanford (9), SMU (12), Clemson (14), UNC (17), Wake Forest (21), California (26), NC State (32), Virginia Tech (41) and Notre Dame (47).
2024 ACC Men’s Soccer Season Honors Offensive Player of the Year – Matthew Roou, Sr., F, Notre Dame Defensive Player of the Year –Casper Svendby, Jr., D, Pitt Midfielder of the year – Joran Gerbet, Sr., Clemson Goalkeeper of the year – Wessel Speel, Gr., Duke Freshman year – Ransford Gyan, M, Clemson Coach of the year – Jay Vidovich, Pitt
2024 All-ACC team The first team
Joran Gerbet, Sr., M, Clemson
Alex Meinhard, Gr., F, Clemson
Ulfur Bjornsson, So., F, Duke
Wessel Speel, Gr., GK, Duke
Riley Thomas, Gr., D, North Carolina
Matthew Roou, Jr., F, Notre Dame
Guilherme Feitosa, Sr., M, Pitt
Luis Sahmkow, Sr., F, Pitt
Casper Svendby, Jr., D, Pitt
Bailey Sparks Sr., F, SMU
Zach Bohane, Jr., M, Stanford
Another team
Ash Ekeland, Jr., M, Boston College
Kevin Carmichael, Sr., D, Cal
Ransford Gyan, Fr., M, Clemson
Adam Luckhurst, Gr., F, Duke
Martin Vician, Gr., F, North Carolina
Taig Healy, Jr., M, NC State
Hakim Karamoko, So., F, NC State
Casper Grening, Sr., M, Pitt
Nick Dang, Jr., D, Virginia
Trace Alphin, Sr., GK, Wake Forest
Cooper Flax, Jr., M, Wake Forest
The third team
Nonso Adimabua, Gr., F, California
Kamran Acito, Jr., D, Duke
Kenan Hot, Jr., M, Duke
Ruben Mesalles, Sr., D, Duke
Gage Guerra, Sr., F, Louisville
Josh Jones, Sr., D, Louisville
Sam Williams, Jr., M, North Carolina
Bryce Boneau, jr., M, Notre Dame
Cabral Carter, Jr., GK, Pitt
Jackson Gilman, Jr., D, Pitt
Kyran Chambron Pinho, Sr., D, SMU
2024 Freshman Team
Ransford Gyan, M, Clemson
Luke Magnason, D, Clemson
Wahabu Musah, F, Clemson
Jamie Caboose, M, Duke
Tate Johnson, D, North Carolina
Nikola Markovic, D, NC State
Lasse Dahl, F, Pitt
Niklas Soerensen, D, Pitt
Chimere Omeze, D, Syracuse
Olafur Floki Stephensen, D, Virginia Tech
Dylan Borso, M, Wake Forest