Article by Aurelian Botezatu – Published on Tuesday, 31 March 2026, 07:42 / Updated on Tuesday, 31 March 2026 07:42
Tensions are high in Zenica, where Bosnia will meet Italy today (21:45, Digi Sport 2, Prima Sport 2) in a decisive match for a place at the 2026 World Cup.
The reporters of the Bosnian daily SportSport accuse the Squadra Azzurra of espionage, before the duel in Zenica. They caught an Italian EUFOR soldier filming the Bosnian national team training in Butmir, before the “Dragons” security forces escorted him out of the compound.
Daily Marca called SportSport to make sure the story is real!
The Marca journalists found the story hard to believe, and they called the newspaper to make sure it was real before publishing it!
“With so much at stake – participating in a World Cup and the financial and sporting rewards that come with it – it's no wonder that all kinds of stories and anecdotes surface in the run-up to one of the hottest matches of the year,” Marca justified its decision to check everything.
The soldier accused of espionage by Bosnian journalists and officials / Photo: SportSport
SportSport: “A man continued to record with his mobile phone even after the 15 minutes open to the public”
The Bosnians claim that while their national team was training in Butmir, after the 15 minutes open to the public, a man continued to record on his mobile phone what was happening during Sergej Barbarez's team's training session. He was dressed in a military parka and shorts and wore an Italian badge on his left shoulder.
Federation security staff quickly removed the soldier from the vicinity of the sports base. This alleged “espionage” later sparked a major international football conflict. The Football Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina submitted a complaint to EUFOR, the European Union mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Corriere dello Sport: “The suspect was not an Italian spy, but a soldier who was simply watching training”
The Italians did not leave it at that and promptly responded, through the press department: “It is not a spy sent by the Italian Football Federation or Gennaro Gattuso. The EUFOR command base is located next to the Butmir training ground, where the Bosnian national team trained. The NATO headquarters, which houses the Multinational Battalion (MNBN) and military police personnel, including the Italian Carabinieri, are also located in that area.”
The daily “Corriere dello Sport”, in turn, explained: “The suspect was not an Italian spy working for the national team, nor was he connected to other activities. He was simply an Italian soldier who happened to be near the training base and he apparently stopped to watch Dzeko and his teammates train.”
