Soccer experts question strategic value of Canadian team's drone gambit

Was that really worth it?

It's a question that might be top of mind for whichever Canada Soccer staff were in charge of the decision to fly a drone over New Zealand women's soccer practices in the days before their opening match at the Paris Olympics.

To date, the ramifications of that choice — and, more importantly, of getting caught — include head coach Bev Priestman and a pair of assistants being removed from the team. One of those assistants, Joey Lombardi, received an eight-month suspended prison sentence in France for operating the drone.

And for what? The Canadians are reigning gold medallists, ranked eighth worldwide by FIFA; New Zealand, at 28th, sits last among all Olympic teams. Not to mention the risk of flying a drone at an Olympics which has spent $4 billion US in security, and where drones are banned to begin with.

"It's a new depth of stupid, in my opinion, and incompetence to even do that," said CBC Sports analyst and longtime national team player Amy Walsh. "And then the boring answer is that it's completely unnecessary because if you have unwavering belief in the individuals that you've assembled to perform, then that's who you should be focused on."

WATCH | Canadian Olympic Committee supports Priestman suspension:

Canada went on to beat New Zealand 2-1 on Thursday despite surrendering the game's first goal.

Analysis of the images captured by Lombardi, described by the Canadian Olympic Committee as a "non-accredited staffer," reportedly showed New Zealand players applying instructions given by their coach.

Walsh, who retired in 2009, said Canada's coaching staff might have been trying to get a sneak peek at New Zealand's formation, possible injuries, set pieces and penalty-kick strategy.

Specifical