In the aftermath of the drone spying scandal at the Paris Olympics, Canada's sports minister, Carla Qualtrough, has announced that the government will withhold funding for the three suspended soccer officials tied to Team Canada's involvement in the controversial incident.

Following revelations that drones were used to spy on Canada's opponents during training sessions, FIFA took action and suspended women's coach Bev Priestman for a year. In addition, two other Team Canada employees were removed and also received a one-year ban.

Minister Qualtrough released a strongly worded statement, expressing deep concern over the pattern of behavior at Canada Soccer and emphasizing the need to get to the bottom of the issue. The government of Canada will closely monitor the investigation and outcomes of the Canada Soccer process currently underway.

While the funding for the overall women's program will not be affected, Sport Canada, which funds the program, will halt financial backing specifically for the three Canada Soccer officials for the duration of their FIFA sanctions. The exact amount of funding to be withheld is currently being determined by Sport Canada.

The drone usage scandal has tarnished Canada's reputation as the defending gold medalists and the eighth-ranked team in the world. The incident came to light last week when allegations surfaced that Canadian staff had spied on lower-ranked New Zealand ahead of their opening group match. This led to the arrest and subsequent eight-month prison sentence for a man linked to the Canadian team, who had filmed the closed-door training of the New Zealand women's team using a drone.

As a part of the FIFA punishment, Canada has been penalized with a deduction of 6 points in the Olympic soccer tournament, significantly reducing their chances of advancing beyond the group stage. Meanwhile, Canada Soccer has taken action by suspending coach Bev Priestman for the remainder of the Paris Games tournament and launching an independent external review of the incident. Assistant coach Andy Spence is currently leading the team for the rest of the Olympics.

Minister Qualtrough expressed regret over the distraction and embarrassment caused by the incident, urging Canadians to continue supporting all the incredible Olympic athletes who have worked tirelessly and deserve unwavering support.

As the investigation continues to unfold, the impact of this scandal on Team Canada's performance and reputation remains to be seen.