Jasmine Mander, who served a one-year FIFA ban for her role in Canada's drone-spying scandal at the Paris Olympics, has linked up with the Republic of Ireland women's team to help preparations for the World Cup qualifier double-header against France and the Netherlands.
Head coach Bev Priestman, her then assistant Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi received one-year suspensions from football-related activity following an independent report into the use of drones to spy on the training session of an opponent (New Zealand) at the 2024 Games.
Priestman previously guided Canada to a 2-1 victory over the Republic of Ireland at the 2023 World Cup, but her side failed to make it out of the group stages in Australia and New Zealand. Mander was part of the Canadian back-room team at the tournament.
Coach banned for drone spying scandal joins Republic of Ireland women's team backroom staff, reports @Corktod #RTESport #RTESoccer pic.twitter.com/iFCGdEFAOZ
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) February 27, 2026
In a piece for the Players Tribune in October 2025, Mander offered a candid reflection on the drone-spying incident, writing: "We should never have tried to watch another team train. Never. We're Canada. No matter how you look at it, no matter the context, it’s simple: We should have played by the rules."
Mander has been on the training pitch at the FAI National Training Centre this week as boss Carla Ward finetunes her players for two huge tests.
New assistant Gary Cronin has also been working with the squad for the first time after filling the position left vacant by Alan Mahon, who departed before Christmas.
Ireland were put through their paces on Friday morning and have no fresh injury concerns. Ward is due to face the media alongside her captain Katie McCabe on Monday, with the Girls in Green welcoming the French to Tallaght Stadium on Tuesday night. They take on the Dutch in Utrecht the following Saturday.
Watch Republic of Ireland v France on Tuesday from 7pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on the RTÉ News App and on rte.ie/sport. Listen to live commentary on an extended Inside Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.
