The Bosnia and Herzegovina FA have accused an Italian soldier from the European Union Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUFOR) of spying on a training session ahead of the World Cup play-off final between the two countries.
Bosnia will host the four-time world champions at the Bilino Polje Stadium in Zenica on Tuesday night, following their dramatic penalty shootout win over Wales in the play-off semi-final last week.
But their preparation for the crunch match has been disrupted by controversy after a EUFOR soldier, believed to be Italian, was spotted filming Bosnia’s training session in Butmir on Sunday.
Reports emerging from Bosnian media suggest that the soldier could be seen behind a fence recording players being put through their paces.
After noticing the soldier had been recording for over 15 minutes, security and members of staff are understood to have approached him before requesting the recording be stopped.
Sportsport.BA have reported that the filming was a ‘direct attempt’ from the Italian national team to get intel on Bosnia’s tactics as the Azzuri look to qualify for their first World Cup in 12 years.
The Bosnian FA have reportedly now lodged a complaint to EUFOR situated in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The training ground in Butmir does not have the necessary protection needed ahead of such a big match, and with the session open to the public, only a small metal fence acted as abrrier between the players and onlookers.
A picture of a man wearing a camouflage jacket behind said barrier has since gone viral; however, there is no evidence as of yet to suggest he is connected to the Italian national team and Gennaro Gattuso’s staff.
Italy are within touching distance of making their first World Cup since 2014, in which they were knocked out in the group stage, after beating Northern Ireland 2-0 in Bergamo last week.
Gattuso’s side are clear favourites to book their tickets to North America; however, following their semi-final victory, they were accused of showing ‘disrespect and arrogance’ after footage emerged of players celebrating Wales losing to Bosnia.
Members of the Italian team, including Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, were filmed celebrating the shootout from a box at the New Balance Era in Bergamo, and the video has since been circulating on social media.
Bosnia striker Edin Dzeko has since addressed the video and believes all the pressure is on the Italians, who have been knocked out in the play-offs ahead of the last two tournaments.
‘I don’t know why Italy preferred not to play in Wales; we went there without fear and won,’ Dzeko said following Bosnia’s shootout win in Cardiff.
‘Italy are an incredible national team, having won four World Cups. If they’re afraid to play in Wales, something isn’t right. After failing to qualify for the last two World Cups, they’re now playing for a lot.’
The 40-year-old added: ‘Dimarco wrote to me saying he didn’t mean to offend anyone; I replied that there’s no problem as far as I’m concerned.
‘Everyone has their own preferences; that’s normal. I can’t celebrate, because I would have preferred to avoid Italy in the final.
‘You have to be careful and smart, especially nowadays with social media, where everything gets blown out of proportion.’
