Early this morning, in an Olympic women’s football group stage match, Canada defeated host nation France 2-1 with Vanessa Gilles’ stoppage-time goal in the 12th minute of added time. After the game, the player tearfully stated in an interview that they are not cheats and that they are a great team.
Vanessa Gilles said, “We have been in tears, supporting each other with strength and determination. We take pride in proving people wrong about us. Representing our country is something every one of us players is proud of.”
“We are not cheats. We are very good players, we are a very good team, we are a very good group, and we proved that today.”
Previously, due to a team staff member using a drone to secretly film New Zealand’s training session, the Canadian team was deducted six points and now stands at zero points. However, if they win their last group stage match against Colombia on August 1st at 3 AM, they will advance to the quarter-finals and keep their chances alive as defending champions.
It is understood that the Canadian team is considering an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to contest the penalty decision, and the outcome of this appeal has yet to be announced.
