A source, not authorized to speak on the matter, said Herdman had offered to speak to Regenbogen but the two could not find a suitable time. A FIFA Appeals Committee ruling last summer also put Herdman at Ground Zero within Canada Soccer for spying on rival teams. “Canada is investigating the history of this matter, but we suspect that the practice of using a drone stems back to John Herdman when he was the head coach of the women’s national team. In other words, this was a practice started by one person — John Herdman — and continued by Bev Priestman,” Canada Soccer said, according to the FIFA document. Herdman had said little publicly about the scandal. “I can again clarify that at a FIFA World Cup, pinnacle event, Olympic Games, at a Youth World Cup, those activities have not been undertaken,” he said in July. “And I’ve got nothing else to say on that matter.” Herdman has kept a low profile since quitting TFC. Herdman took over the Canadian women’s team in 2011 and switched to the Canadian men in January 2018. He quit Canada Soccer in August 2023 to take over Toronto FC. He led the Canadian women to two Olympics, winning bronze in 2012 and 2016 and took the Canadian men to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar — their first trip to the sport’s showcase since 1986.