Canada women's football team staff sent home over Olympic spying scandal

Additionally, head coach Bev Priestman has announced that she will not be participating in Canada's opening game of the gold medal defense against New Zealand.

The decision to send the staff members home comes after one of them was detained by French authorities for flying a drone over a New Zealand training session in Saint Etienne.

The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) has stated that they were made aware of a second incident involving New Zealand, which led to a formal complaint being lodged with the IOC integrity unit and demands for answers from Canada.

The COC has assured that they are in communication with the IOC and FIFA, and that Canada Soccer has been transparent and cooperative throughout the process.

They have also stated that they will continue to review the matter and may take further action if necessary.

Priestman expressed that she believed it would not be suitable to be present on the sidelines during the match against New Zealand on Thursday.

She stated, "I would like to extend my sincere apologies to the players and staff of New Zealand Football, as well as to the players of Team Canada, on behalf of our entire team.

"This behavior is not in line with the principles that our team upholds.

"As the leader of our program, I take full responsibility for the actions taken. Therefore, in order to underscore our team's dedication to honesty, I have chosen to step back from coaching the upcoming match on Thursday."