Canada Soccer and the Canadian Olympic Committee have formally appealed the decision to deduct six points from their women’s football campaign, claiming the punishment is unfair on their players.
The appeal was registered with the Court of Arbitration for Sport who will fast-track the review of the ruling so all the teams in Group A at the tournament know the outcome in advance of their final pool games on Thursday morning (NZT).
The points deduction followed the discovery that members of Canada’s coaching staff had tried to spy on New Zealand training sessions, using a drone.
Head coach Bev Priestman and two coaching staff have been banned by FIFA from all forms of football for 12 months and Canada Soccer have been fined 200,000 Swiss frances (NZ$385,000).
The Court of Arbitration for Sport will only consider the appeal against the points deduction, not the coaching bans or the fine.
The court says it aims to hold the hearing on Wednesday (NZT) so the four teams playing on Thursday know what they need to achieve on the field.
Canada can still go through to the quarter-finals in the 12-team competition, even if the appeal fails, as they beat France 2-1 in their latest game, and can earn three points if they beat Colombia.
New Zealand face hosts France in their final game.
READ MORE: Banned coach Bev Priestman: ‘I am absolutely heartbroken for the players’ >>>>
READ MORE: Bans, a fine and six points docked as Canada pay price for using drones >>>>
Main photo credit: Albert Stoynov on Unsplash
Fixtures
Games to be played on Thursday August 1, 2024 (NZT)
New Zealand v France
Stade de Lyon, Décines-Charpieu, 7am (NZT)
Colombia v Canada
Stade de Nice, Nice, 7am (NZT)
This story was first published on July 30, 2024.
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