A pair of Canadian national team soccer players took to the microphone this week to express their frustrations following the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Forward Evelyne Viens and defender Gabby Carle spoke with the Footy Prime podcast earlier this week and were candid on some of their emotions about currently suspended coach Bev Priestman, as well as the Olympic tournament as a whole following a drone-spying scandal that enveloped the team.
Prior to the tournament’s first game, the news broke that the New Zealand women’s national soccer team had flagged a drone flying over one of their training sessions. The drone was eventually linked back to the Canadian contingent, ahead of the two teams playing each other in the first match of the Olympics.
Priestman, as well as Canada soccer staff members Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander, were sent home as a result of the incident. Priestman was originally scheduled to miss just one match by her choice, but was eventually out for the tournament and banned for a year by FIFA from any soccer-related activities.
“[Priestman is] the one that broke the news to us that Joey [Lombardi] was in jail. She told us she was going to take all responsibility. I mean, you want candid, in my opinion, she didn’t [take responsibility]. I think she kind of went around [the situation] and I don’t think that was okay at the end of the day,” Carle said. “[We thought it was] under control. And then the next day, the very next day, we see the press release, and we realize, ‘oh, accountability is not being taken’ and then, I mean, it just kept getting worse and worse and worse.”
Canada was also docked six points in the group stage, though they were still able to qualify for the knockout rounds after winning all three round-robin games.
“Some people needed to joke about it, like, it’s their way of dealing with stuff like that. Some people are crying. I think everyone just expressed themselves,” Viens added.
Both Viens and Carle were part of Canada’s gold medal win at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but they didn’t appear to be on the best terms with Priestman, who coached that team.
Andy Spence took over for Priestman for the rest of the tournament in Paris, and both players were more complimentary of him in comparison to Priestman, despite bowing out in the quarterfinals to Germany.
“I don’t want to be disrespectful,” Viens said. “He was not wondering about all my little questions, he was just, like, go do it. So I think for me, was a little relief in this way that the coach my positive aspect on the field. I believe in me now.”
Carle also felt some relief playing for Spence compared to Priestman.
“I think I had to learn to see my own value, because I didn’t necessarily feel value no matter what I did. And I think I got good at that, but then, once I was on that field and she was gone, I realized just how much of an impact she had on me. It felt like I was always second-guessing my decisions,” Carle added.
“I was always [nervous], just because no matter if I messed one thing up, I knew this was going to be brought up, and I knew it was going to be held against me. There [were] just so many [times that happened under Priestman]. During these Olympics, was the first time I felt like I could just go out there and be myself. It’s one thing for someone to tell me that, but then to show me that they truly believe that [is something else].”
Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
