FIFA deals Canada women's soccer team hefty punishment for Olympic drone scandal

Lombardi, head coach Bev Priestman and assistant Jasmine Mander are suspended for one year from any football-related activity. This comes after the three were sent home from the Olympics before the weekend.

Canada's win versus New Zealand Thursday is essentially erased due to FIFA's six-point deduction. It sits at the bottom of Group A with -3 points as the road to its title defense becomes nearly unmanageable. 

While the swift action from FIFA is justified, the players on the pitch suffer most from the regrettable and unacceptable actions of their staff members.

Retired from international soccer, Canadian legend and all-time men's and women's international goal scorer Christine Sinclair defended her teammates as many question how much players knew about the spying.

Stephanie Labbe, Canada's goalkeeper for its Olympic gold-medal win in Tokyo, spoke out against accusations that her penalty save record was due to watching drone footage of opponents.

Pending a full investigation from FIFA, there's a possibility that the players are stripped of their gold medals from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Even if not, this scandal casts a shadow on what for many is the greatest achievement of their career.

While fair to Canada's opponents, the punishment is extremely harsh for the players who have approached their national team duty with integrity. 

The actions of a few taint the legacy of many.