PREVIEW – France v Canada will be another big matchup between two heavy weights in international women’s soccer. Unfortunately, for the Canadian players, this Olympic competition has become much harder to compete in because of the sanctions as discussed below. Canada is ranked eighth while France is ranked second in the world according to the FIFA Rankings.
Note: Wins and/or Losses in the penalty shoot-outs and/or extra-time count as draws in terms of form of the team.
France v Canada: Pressure to Win for Canada at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard
France (3-0-2)
France did well in taking a commanding lead against Colombia, but almost blew the lead away as Colombia scored two goals and almost tied the game. However, in the end, it was the hosts that came out on top.
Looking at the players to watch out for, the one to look at is Marie-Antoinette Katoto, the 23-year-old, who is the all-time leader with Paris Saint-Germain by scoring 119 goals. She has also made her mark with the French national team by scoring 32 goals, including two goals scored against Colombia. There is also their captain, Wendie Renard, who has scored 38 goals for her country and is determined to make a legacy for her national team and country in the Olympic games. This is what Renard said about the goal of winning Gold in the Summer Olympics (Source: Original source from The Guardian and from the BEIN Sports article):
“Winning the Olympic gold is the dream,” she told The Guardian. “Personally, I rank playing for my country very highly.”
They also have other players that have been with the team for awhile such as Kenza Dali, who has been with the national team since 2014, and was the other goal-scorer in the 3-2 win over Colombia.
CANWNT (3-2-0)
The CANWNT has its Olympic campaign against the wall after a decision was made on Saturday by FIFA. From this decision, the Canada Soccer Association (CSA) was fined 200,000 Swiss francs, which is around $312,699 Canadian dollars, while head coach, Beverly Priestman, assistant coach Joseph Lombardi, and Canada Soccer analyst, Jasmine Mander, has all been suspended for a year (Source: Rob Harris of Sky News Sports). This also means that Andy Spence will be Canada’s head coach for the 2024 Paris Olympics. In the BBC article, this is what FIFA had to say about the incident:
“The officials were each found responsible for offensive behaviour and violation of the principles of fair play in connection with the CSA’s Women’s representative team’s drones usage in the scope of the Olympic football tournament,” said a FIFA statement.
This is heartbreaking for the CANWNT, who are in great form heading into the 2024 Summer Olympics and won their first game 2-1 against New Zealand. This is not to say that they cannot win their next two games, but it is going to be a very hard task, particularly against France.
Their captain, Jessie Fleming, said about what is going on (Source: Ryan Pyette of the National Post):
“For people to question the culture and values of the 22 players and the players who have played for the team in the past, I think you can critique our playing all you want,” the 26-year-old Londoner said, “but to critique our values really hits home with us.”
Notable players from the last game for Canada included their goal-scorers, Cloé Lacasse and Evelyne Viens, who both scored their first-ever Olympic goals on Thursday. What was also notable was their captain, Jessie Fleming, who played a role in both goals scored and assisted in Viens’ game-winning goal.
Head-To-Head Between Both Teams
The head-to-head between both teams is heavily in favour of France. They have won five of their last six games against the Canadians. The French also defeated the Canadians 4-0 in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. However, Canada has probably the two most important wins. The one win in the last six encounters against France was actually in the 2016 Summer Olympics, when Sophie Schmidt scored a game-winning goal in the 56 minute.
READ MORE: Canadian Women’s National Team: The Six Greatest Soccer Players
There is of course the 2012 Summer Olympics bronze medal game, when Diana Matheson scored the late game-winner to send Canada to the semi-final round of the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The Point of View with the Points Reduction for Canada
This is what Canada Soccer CEO and General Secretary, Kevin Blue, said about the issue at hand:
“Canada Soccer is disappointed with the impact of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s decision on our athletes. We are exploring options to appeal on the basis that it is excessively punitive towards our Women’s National Team players – who were not involved in any unethical behaviour. Canada Soccer took swift action to suspend the implicated staff members and is also proceeding with a broad independent review that may lead to further disciplinary action. We appreciate the understanding and support for our players from our Canadian fans during this time.”
Before getting to this writer’s point of view, look at what famous Chelsea F.C. and Montreal Impact (now called CF Montréal) player, Didier Drogba, said about the situation in the video below:
It is unfortunate that it got to this stage. A points deduction was coming with the Summer Olympics. A three points deduction would have been fair, but six points makes it a tough task for Canada to get to the knockout stage of this competition. This is especially true with the CANWNT players not being aware of the drones being used at the Olympics. Still, Canada will have everything to play for as a win or go home attitude will likely be the mindset of the team heading into Sunday’s game.
Using drones to spy on other teams is wrong, as there will be some tough choices and/or options that the Canada Soccer Association must take after the Olympics are over. But it is important to note this scandal is not comparable to the Ben Johnson scandal and/or other scandals that happened before in the Olympic Games.
How To Watch the France v Canada Game Coming Up
READ MORE: The 2024 CanWNT Olympic Roster Reveal Includes Cloé Lacasse
The France v Canada game on Sunday, July 28, 2024, will take place at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Étienne against hosts, France. The time of the game will be at 3:00pm ET and it will be televised nationally on CBC.
Photo Credit: CANWNT X Account on July 25, 2024.
