Colombia head coach accuses Bolivia of spying ahead of World Cup qualifiers

Colombian head coach Néstor Lorenzo accused Bolivia of spying on his team and the Colombian Football Federation was ready to file an official complaint with evidence.

“It’s unfortunate that they send people to spy on you,” Lorenzo said in his pre-match press conference. “I don’t know where these people come from or who they are but we have identified them, we have photos and we are going to file a complaint.

“Of course we want to train with the discretion that we deserve, with the privacy that we deserve. This was a violation of the privacy of the group,” he added.

Bolivian manager Óscar Villegas played down the situation and reported that footage of Bolivia’s behind-closed-doors training sessions had also been leaked.

With all the hostility in the air, Colombia will look to continue their momentum, which has the Sele in second place in the World Cup qualifying standings, behind Argentina. Bolivia are in eighth place in the table, with the match being played at the Estadio Municipal del Alto, located almost three kilometers above sea level, one of the highest stadiums on the planet.

Lorenzo’s accusations come just four times after Canada’s women’s national team lost six points at the Olympics and was fined $313,000 by FIFA for spying on their opponents in Paris.

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