PARIS: The Canadian Olympic Committee removed women’s national football head coach Bev Priestman for the remainder of the Paris Games following an alleged drone spying scandal.

The COC said in a statement released early Friday that assistant coach Andy Spence would lead the defending gold medalists for the remainder of the tournament.

Canada’s camp was thrown into disarray this week after two team staffers were sent home for allegedly using a drone to spy on a New Zealand practice.

Priestman denied any involvement, but did not attend Thursday’s 2-1 victory over New Zealand as FIFA — football’s world governing body — and the International Olympic Committee investigate.

Canada Football CEO and general secretary Kevin Blue said in the COC release “additional information has come to our attention regarding previous drone use against opponents, predating the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”

He added Priestman was suspended from her duties until the end of the tournament and the completion of the organization’s independent external review.

The COC said Wednesday that assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi were “sent home immediately,” and that it had accepted Priestman’s decision to remove herself from coaching the opening match.

Priestman held a brief media availability Wednesday after guiding her team through a one-hour practice.

“My reaction was you feel like this program has let the country down,” the 38-year-old Priestman said. “That’s why I took the proactive step to do what I felt was the right thing. Irrespective of the details, I’m ultimately accountable.”

Priestman had agreed to a contract in late January to coach Canada through the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

Priestman was hired in November 2020 to succeed Kenneth Heiner-Moller and had been working on a rolling contract. She led Canada to a gold medal at the 2021 Olympics, but was eliminated in the group stage of last year’s World Cup. She has coached the team to 28 wins, nine losses and 10 draws.

Priestman spent five years with the Canadian Football Association in a variety of coaching roles before returning in June 2018 to her native England, where she served as coach of the women’s under-18 team and assistant coach with the senior women’s team. Before that she spent 4 1/2 years as head of football development in New Zealand before leaving in June 2013.

PARIS: Reigning Ballon d’Or Aitana Bonmati scored one goal and helped create another as World Cup holders Spain beat Japan 2-1 in their first game of the women’s Olympic football tournament on Thursday, while record four-time gold medallists the United States beat Zambia 3-0.

Spain are making their Olympic women’s football debut at the Paris Games but are leading contenders to win gold after their World Cup triumph in Australia and New Zealand last year.

They fell behind against Japan in Group C in the western French city of Nantes to Aoba Fujino’s superb early free-kick, but Bonmati soon equalized as she rounded the goalkeeper to score midway through the first half.

Spain then grabbed the winner in the 74th minute when Mariona Caldentey exchanged passes with Bonmati before firing in.

With 12 teams split into three groups of four, there is margin for error as the two best third-placed sides will advance to the quarter-finals.

That will provide some comfort for Japan, silver medallists at London 2012.

A strong Spain starting XI featured seven players who were in the line-up for last year’s World Cup final win over England in Sydney, plus Alexia Putellas, the two-time former Ballon d’Or winner.

In the same section, two-time silver medallists Brazil beat Nigeria 1-0 in Bordeaux.

Former world player of the year Marta, in her sixth Olympics at the age of 38, had an effort disallowed for offside before setting up Gabi Nunes for the only goal late in the first half.

The USA have come to the Games with a young squad but with high hopes of success under new coach Emma Hayes.

They were comfortable winners against Zambia in Nice but should have triumphed by a greater margin after netting three times in the first half against opponents who had a player sent off before the break.

Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson both hit the woodwork before Rodman — daughter of former NBA superstar Dennis Rodman — scored on 17 minutes with a lovely turn and finish in the box.

Swanson made it 2-0 on 24 minutes when she controlled Lindsey Horan’s pass and finished, and she netted again just a minute later, this time rounding the goalkeeper to slot in.

Zambia’s Pauline Zulu was left in tears as she was sent off following a VAR review shortly before the break for a foul on Sophia Smith. However, the USA could not add any more goals with the extra player.

Also in Group B, 2016 gold medallists Germany outclassed Australia, winning 3-0 in Marseille with Marina Hegering and Lea Schueller both scoring headers before Jule Brand wrapped up the victory.

The USA and Germany meet each other in Marseille on Sunday.

France survived a wobble to beat Colombia 3-2 in Lyon, where there were plenty of empty seats to greet the host nation.

Marie-Antoinette Katoto scored twice in the first half either side of a Kenza Dali strike as France appeared to be cruising.

However, Catalina Usme pulled one back from a penalty early in the second half and substitute Manuela Pavi further reduced the deficit before a red card for Mayra Ramirez ended Colombian hopes of snatching a point.

In the same Group A, reigning Olympic champions Canada shrugged off a spying scandal to claim a 2-1 win over New Zealand in Saint-Etienne.

Mackenzie Barry gave New Zealand the lead before a sparse crowd at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.

Arsenal’s Cloe Lacasse levelled in first-half stoppage time for Canada, who beat Sweden on penalties in the final in Tokyo three years ago. Evelyne Viens then fired in the winner 11 minutes from time.

Canada’s build-up had been overshadowed after an assistant coach and an analyst were sent home from the Olympics on the eve of the game.

The analyst, 43-year-old Joey Lombardi, was also given a suspended eight-month prison sentence for flying a drone over a New Zealand training session this week in Saint-Etienne.

Head coach Bev Priestman apologized and took no part in the game against New Zealand, feeling it would not be appropriate.

“As a Canadian, these are not our values. We are not cheats,” said defender Vanessa Gilles, who described the episode as a “humiliation.”