Grapevine

Drone spy: Canadians split on FIFA penalty

“It certainly captured pretty good attention, the fact that Canada got caught using drones to spy on their opponents’ practices,” said Andrew Enns, Leger’s executive vice-president for central Canada.

The team was docked six points and three coaching staff members were given one-year suspensions after the scandal came to light as the Olympic Games kicked off in late July.

Overall, 39 per cent of respondents to the poll said the punishment from the governing body FIFA was fair and 32 per cent said it was unfair.

Canadians who were familiar with the story were more likely to take a position, as 47 per cent agreed with the sanctions, while 39 per cent called them unfair.

Enns pointed out stories about cheating at the Olympics tend to involve the use of illicit performance enhancing drugs—not drones. “It just seemed a little unusual for Canada to get caught in the middle of something like this.”