With only hours to go before Bosnia’s World Cup decider against Italy, tensions have risen off the pitch following claims of an alleged “Italian spy” at the Bosnian national team’s training ground. The story was first reported by Bosnian media, which alleged that a man in uniform - identified as an Italian serviceman attached to the EUFOR mission - had remained near the training field while Bosnia were preparing for the crucial match. According to those reports, the man was seen close to the pitch with the apparent aim of observing and possibly filming the players during the session involving Edin Džeko and his teammates.

The incident is said to have taken place at the Butmir training center, where Bosnia were holding one of their final sessions ahead of the game against Italy. Bosnian outlets claimed the serviceman remained in the area even after the first 15 minutes of training — the only part of the session open to the public and the media — had ended, prompting suspicion and sparking controversy. The story quickly spread across local websites and social media, adding another layer of tension to what was already shaping up to be a highly charged evening in Zenica. However, Italian defence sources have firmly rejected any suggestion of espionage.

According to the Italian version of events, the man was simply an Italian soldier stationed at the nearby military base adjacent to the training facility and was merely observing the session from a permitted position, without engaging in any unusual or unauthorized activity. From Italy’s perspective, there is no spy story - just an episode that, in the heated atmosphere surrounding such a decisive match, has been blown far out of proportion.