Italian authorities deny any wrongdoing after claim by Bosnian media triggers controversy ahead of Tuesday’s high-stakes match.
A diplomatic and sporting row erupted on the eve of the World Cup qualifying play-off final between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy, after a Bosnian media outlet alleged that an Italian “spy” had been caught secretly filming the Bosnia training session.
Italian authorities were swift to deny any wrongdoing, attributing the incident to an entirely innocent coincidence of geography – but not before the episode had generated an outcry in Bosnia and a formal complaint had been lodged.
The incident
Bosnia and Herzegovina held a closed training session ahead of the World Cup qualifying play-off final against Italy.
Bosnian media published footage of a man in military uniform who had approached the FK Sarajevo training facility at Butmir, where the Bosnian national squad had been preparing.
The individual stopped outside the pitch – which is enclosed by netting and barbed wire – and proceeded to film the session on a smartphone.
The Bosnian sports portal Sportsport.ba was among those to allege that a member of the Italian contingent serving in the EUFOR Althea mission had unlawfully filmed the Bosnian national team’s training session, and reported that the Bosnian Football Federation had already submitted a formal complaint to EUFOR.
Who was the man?
The individual was identified as an Italian soldier serving in EUFOR – the European Union’s multinational military and civilian force operating in Bosnia under Operation Althea, whose mandate is to maintain a secure environment following the Dayton Accords.
The EUFOR command base, along with NATO headquarters, which also hosts the Multinational Battalion and military police personnel including Italian Carabinieri, is located in the immediate vicinity of the Butmir training ground where the Bosnian squad was based.
According to subsequent reconstructions of events, the soldier found himself in the area due to the proximity of his base to the training facility and lingered to watch the session, apparently unaware that filming was prohibited.
The training session, as is customary, permitted media access for the first 15 minutes, but the soldier reportedly remained near the pitch after journalists and photographers had departed.
Italian defence sources were categorical that the soldier had no connection whatsoever to the national football team, was not acting as a spy on behalf of the Azzurri, and had no links to any other intelligence-related activity.
Sportmediaset similarly reported that the individual was in no way affiliated with manager Gennaro Gattuso or the Italy squad, and had passed no useful information regarding Bosnia’s tactical preparations.
Tensions
Despite the rapid deflation of the spying allegation, the incident resonated widely in Bosnia, adding further heat to an already charged pre-match atmosphere between the two camps.
Tension had already escalated following the circulation of a video in which Italy players Federico Dimarco and Guglielmo Vicario were seen celebrating enthusiastically at the moment Bosnia defeated Wales on penalties in the other play-off semi-final.
Their jubilant reaction provoked anger among Bosnian supporters who accused the Italians of “disrespect”.
High-stakes game
The winner of the match at the Stadion Bilino Polje in Zenica, which kicks off on Tuesday 31 March at 20.45, will secure a place at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Should Italy defeat Bosnia, they will join Group B of the 2026 World Cup alongside co-hosts Canada, Switzerland and Qatar, with games scheduled in Toronto, Los Angeles and Seattle.
Italy are under immense pressure to qualify, having failed in their last two attempts – a miserable run that has seen the four-time World Cup champions absent from Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022.
Photo: Sportmediaset
