These actions have led to court convictions and a FIFA sanction that has deducted six points from the team, depriving them of any chance of success at Paris 2024. The spying was used days before playing against New Zealand, whom they beat in the competition.

In a statement, Priestman, who denies knowledge but accepts responsibility, apologised to both the players and the entire country of Canada.

She acknowledged that the players have worked "hard" after a "very difficult year" and that they are "a group of people who care very much about sportsmanship and integrity".

She asks the country that has been her "home" and that she has "fallen in love with" to continue "supporting these very talented and hard-working players, to help them defy all adversity and show their true character".

She also defended that the plan and the team "have enabled this country to reach the top of the women's game" and that "they have earned their gold medal through grit and determination".

Priestman's declarations are limited to this because, she explains, there is an appeal against the FIFA sanction and an investigation process is underway.

The case

The sanction affects the Canadian football federation, which has been declared "responsible for not respecting the applicable FIFA regulations", which expressly mentions the prohibition of the use of drones over training venues, and includes a fine of 200,000 Swiss francs (226,000 dollars).

It was New Zealand on the receiving end of the drone visit, which had already left a trail of consequences for the coaching staff: on the judicial side, an eight-month jail sentence for analyst Joey Lombardi, and on the Canadian Olympic Committee's side, the expulsion of assistant Jasime Mander and the withdrawal of coach Priestman (now suspended) from the match against the spying victim team.

Lombardi himself, from the coaching staff, admitted that he had used the drone to capture the instructions of the opposing coach. The sentence does not include imprisonment.

The Saint Etienne prosecutor in charge of the case, David Charmatz, confirmed that examination of the drone showed that, in addition to filming the New Zealand team on Monday, it had also filmed two days earlier at another stadium in the area. The sentence also includes confiscation of the drone.

Coach Bev Priestman was the same coach who led the team to the gold medal at Tokyo 2020 and denies directing the actions of the others involved, although she accepts responsibility as a leader.

Assistant coach Andy Spence will take over as head coach for the remainder of the competition and will be on the bench for Canada's next game against France on Sunday, and the team, whose players claim to be unaware of the stunt, will receive sports ethics training.