Beverly Priestman, the former coach of Canada's women's soccer team, has expressed her concerns about safety in the country following a one-year ban for a spying incident at the 2024 Olympics.
The 39-year-old has recently been appointed as the head coach of New Zealand's women's team, Wellington Phoenix. This marks her first role since FIFA imposed a 12-month suspension due to a spying scandal during the Paris Games last summer.
Priestman, originally from England, along with two other members of Canada's staff, faced bans after using a drone to monitor a training session of their opponents, New Zealand, prior to their opening group-stage match.
Before the ban was officially issued, Canada Soccer had already relieved Priestman of her duties as head coach upon discovering previous unauthorized drone use against opponents that occurred before the Olympics.
"I didn't feel safe living in Canada," Priestman admitted candidly. "It was incredibly challenging for my family, and it's something we have to live with."
She further explained, "There was a media frenzy, with people showing up at our door, and I have a young son. Without delving into too much detail, it was a very difficult time. We realized we needed to leave the country."
In addition to the one-year ban, Priestman received an eight-month suspended jail sentence after pleading guilty to operating a drone in an urban area without a license.
Despite her absence, Canada advanced past the group stages at the Olympics, even after being penalized six points due to the incident. However, they were ultimately eliminated by Germany in a penalty shootout during the quarter-finals.
Priestman, who previously served as Phil Neville's assistant for England's women's team, led Canada to Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021.
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