+18 or +21, depending on state | Commercial Content | T&C's Apply | Play Responsibly | Publishing Principles
Bev Priestman Jesse Marsch Jordyn Huitema Canada compositeGetty Images/GOAL

'Every team does it' - USMNT star Tyler Adams issues shocking response to Canada Olympic spying scandal

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

  • Drones used to scout opponents
  • Suspensions & points penalties handed out
  • American star claims others bend rules
  • Bev Priestman Canada Women 2023Getty Images

    WHAT 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.

  • Advertisement
  • THE BIGGER PICTURE

    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.

  • Tyler Adams USMNT 2024 Copa AmericaGetty

    WHAT 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 The Cooligans podcast from Yahoo Sport: “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.”

  • ENJOYED THIS STORY?

    Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

  • 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.