Six-point deduction. Year-long suspensions, each for head coach Bev Priestman and assistants Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander—the 2024 Paris Olympics was anything but smooth for the Canada Women’s National Team. The soccer Canucks found themselves in hot water even before the tournament began, facing backlash for using drones to spy on Group A rival, New Zealand. However, Casey Stoney still insists the team’s performance was nothing short of ‘unbelievable‘ given the circumstances.
Be rest assured, those responsible for this unethical act were punished by the stakeholders. Yet, the negative limelight remained on the players. Even though they had no role whatsoever to play in the incident, fans continued to pour their backlash on them. It was something Stoney couldn’t ignore, as she sympathized with the Canucks’ stars.
“Everyone forgets the players were put in the most difficult position during the situation,” began Stoney while speaking on the latest episode of The Women’s Game podcast. “Their character and integrity were questioned, and that can’t be happening. It’s not them. They haven’t done anything in this.”
Despite the ongoing controversy surrounding the team, the CanWNT refused to throw in the towel. With a six-point deduction and a tough Group A draw alongside France, New Zealand, and Colombia, many doubted their chances of advancing. Yet, their determination proved otherwise. They opened with a narrow win over Colombia, followed by consecutive 2-1 victories against France and New Zealand, respectively.
This performance secured them the second place in the group with three points and a superior goal difference of +3. France topped the group with six points, while Colombia, despite finishing with three points as well, placed third and still advanced. Unfortunately, hopes of an underdog story ended in the quarterfinals as Canada fell prey to Germany on penalties after a stalemate. Still, their resilience left a lasting impression on Stoney.
“What they did was unbelievable to get out of that group in these circumstances and I think it just showed the spirit and togetherness of the group. That excites me because I can harness that and I can just build on that. There’s real potential here,” added the English boss who joined CanWNT at the end of last year.
It’s good to see the new coach advocate for the Canucks stars who were forced to go through a tough moment. But now, they may just be able to put the past behind them, considering their new union here with Stoney.
Casey Stoney applauds resilience but urges ‘Integrity’
The former San Diego Wave manager praised the Canadian Federation for its transparency throughout the investigation. She specifically acknowledged Kevin Blue, CEO and General Secretary of the Canadian Soccer Federation, who had only been in his role for a few months when the controversy surfaced. Despite the circumstances, the situation was handled as well as it could have been.
While questions remain about who all were truly involved, Stoney appreciated that the team was ultimately given a chance to state their case. “I also spoke to the staff. I’ve been very transparent about what I wanted to know and what I wanted to hear because I wouldn’t take something on if I felt that was an organizational problem,” Stoney emphasized.
Further clearing her principles as a coach, the 42-year-old added, “Integrity is really important to me. Winning the right way is really important to me and making sure the players [realize it].”
Clearly, Casey Stoney has distinguished herself from all short cut routes to success such as these malpractices. Instead, she rather believes in hard work and virtue. This makes it all the more interesting as to how things will unfold for CanWNT under her leadership.
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