Herdman resigns as Toronto FC coach following Canada drone scandal

TORONTO : Toronto FC coach John Herdman has resigned amid the Canada Soccer drone scandal at the Paris Olympics that recently led to Bev Priestman being fired as Canada's women's head coach.

Herdman is the former head coach of both Canada's men's and women's teams, and has been linked to what an independent review found was a "practice of conducting surreptitious surveillance of opponents" in the national program that pre-dated the Paris Games.

While the Major League Soccer team gave no reason for his resignation, Canada Soccer said earlier this month in their summary of findings from an independent review that it had "initiated a proceeding with respect to Mr. Herdman under the Disciplinary Code."

"Potential violations of the Canada Soccer Code of Conduct and Ethics by the former head coach of the men's national team were identified," Canada Soccer said in the Nov. 12 summary.

Herdman was head coach of Canada's women's team from 2011-18, guiding them to bronze medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, before taking over the men's side from 2018 to 2023.

He headed the men's national team at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022 before he was hired by TFC in August of 2023.

The 49-year-old from Consett, England, said in July that he was confident such spying practices did not occur under his watch.

"Personally, I have made the difficult decision that it's the right time for me to step away from the club, as the organization defines its vision for the future," Herdman said Toronto FC's statement on Friday. "It has been an honour to wear the Toronto FC crest and contribute to the growth of the club.

"Working with this dedicated group of players and staff has been a true privilege. I want to thank (president and chief executive