Brit caught up in Olympics scandal as two staff members sent home after police alerted

English football manager Beverly Priestman will temporarily step back from her role as manager of the Canadian women's national team for their opening match against New Zealand at the Paris Olympics.

Two of her staff members have been sent home for allegedly flying a drone over their upcoming opponents' training session, which led to the police being alerted.

The operator of the drone was identified as a member of Canada's backroom staff and they were detained by authorities.

'Non-accredited' analyst Joseph Lombardi is said to have filed a scouting report to assistant coach Jasmine Mander, with both dismissed and sent home, according to the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC).

Priestman said: "On behalf of our entire team, I first and foremost want to apologise to the players and staff at New Zealand Football and to the players on Team Canada.

"This does not represent the values that our team stands for. I am ultimately responsible for conduct in our program."

The COC added: "The Canadian Olympic Committee was made aware that a non-accredited member of the Canada Soccer support team was detained by French authorities in Saint-Etienne following a complaint by New Zealand Football on July 22nd.

"The staff member is believed to have been using a drone to record the New Zealand women’s football team during practice. The Canadian Olympic Committee stands for fair-play and we are shocked and disappointed.

"We offer our heartfelt apologies to New Zealand Football, to all the players affected, and to the New Zealand Olympic Committee. We are reviewing next steps with the IOC, Paris 2024, Canada Soccer, and FIFA."

The New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) have demanded answers in a strongly-worded statement.

It read: "The NZOC has formally lodged the incident with the IOC integrity unit and has asked Canada for a full review.

"The NZOC and New Zealand Football are committed to upholding the integrity and fairness of the Olympic Games."

Durham-born Priestman formerly served as the Lionesses' assistant manager between 2018 and 2020, before taking the top job at the Canada women's national team.

Canada are due to face the Kiwis on Thursday morning, before clashes with France on July 28 and Colombia on July 31.