\u201cI realise there are still a lot of questions swirling around about exactly what happened at the Paris Olympics last summer,\u201d Mander wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s taken me more than a year just to open up about it all to people beyond my family and closest friends. But as one of five members of the technical staff at that tournament, I want to set the record straight, take accountability, and tell you my side of the story.\u201d<\/p>\n
Football Ferns celebrate scoring against Canada at the Paris Olympics, last year. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n
Mander wrote about receiving a message from the drone operator while he was in police custody and outlined the timeline of the events as they unfolded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely could have done more to avoid this scandal for everyone, and I\u2019m sorry that I didn\u2019t, especially as a Canadian,\u201d Mander said.<\/p>\n
She then went on to explain why she never raised questions about why they were trying to watch other teams.<\/p>\n
Mander said she understood that at some level it was \u201cimmoral\u201d, but as a new member of the coaching staff, she thought it might be normal at this level.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was 25 when I started at Canada Soccer, and I didn\u2019t want to be that person saying, \u2018Guys, listen \u2026 should we be doing this?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should never have tried to watch another team train. We\u2019re Canada. We should have played by the rules.\u201d<\/p>\n
Canada were deducted six points in the tournament and fined $430,000 while Priestman, Mander and drone operator Joey Lombardi were banned for one year.<\/p>\n
New Zealand lost all three games at the Olympic tournament, while Canada won all three and progressed to the quarter-finals, despite having six points deducted. They lost to Germany in the last eight.<\/p>\n