USMNT star Tyler Adams has issued a shocking “every team does it” response to the Canada spying scandal that rocked the 2024 Olympic Games.
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Drones used to scout opponentsSuspensions & points penalties handed outAmerican star claims others bend rulesGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?
Controversy was sparked in France when a drone was spotted flying over New Zealand’s training camp – the first opponents for Canada’s women’s team in defence of their Olympic crown. It has since been claimed that the men’s team took a similar approach to gaining inside knowledge on rivals at the 2024 Copa America.
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Prominent members of Canada’s backroom team, including head coach Bev Priestman, have vacated or been removed from their posts. FIFA have subsequently handed out a six-point penalty to Canada’s women’s team, with an unfortunate saga casting a cloud over efforts to savour tangible success.
GettyWHAT ADAMS SAID
United States international Adams has offered his response to the spygate scandal, with the Bournemouth midfielder – who captained his country at the 2022 World Cup – telling : “I mean, listen, every team does it. I know for a fact. Every team does it in some capacity. I don't know about drones and sh*t like that seems, that seems a little bit crazy. But like, there's always people when you train in stadiums the day before games or whatever, someone will be acting like a worker and they're, like, really working for a different federation or something like it happens. It happens consistently. I'm positive of that.”
WHAT NEXT?
Canada have taken that process to the extreme, but are far from being the first to face accusations of spying. Former Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa was caught up in a similar scandal during his time at Elland Road, with Derby asking questions of how the Whites went about their scouting missions.