Spying scandal rocks Italy - Bosnia clash

Preparations for the Bosnian national team's training session were marred by tension following an incident in which a man suspected of having ties to the Italian national team was caught filming their final training session before their upcoming match. This match is part of the European World Cup qualifying playoffs, with both teams vying for a place in the USA World Cup. According to the Spanish newspaper Marca, the Bosnian team was training at the Butmir training center in preparation for their trip to Zenica when the session turned controversial. Initially, the media were only allowed to observe the first 15 minutes, but suspicions arose when a man continued filming with his mobile phone after the allotted time had passed, even from within an area off-limits to journalists. He documented details of coach Sergej Barbarez's team's training. It was later revealed that the man was an Italian soldier serving with the European Union Security Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUSF), wearing a military uniform with the Italian flag sash on his shoulder, which raised further questions about his motives. Security forces quickly intervened to remove him from the training area, while the incident highlighted the weakness of organizational capabilities, as the Bosnian national team does not have fully equipped facilities to shield training from the eyes of lurking individuals, which may prompt officials to reconsider this matter in the future.