Colombia Head Coach Accuses Bolivia of Spying Ahead of World Cup Qualifier

Colombia national team manager Nestor Lorenzo accused Bolivia of spying on the team ahead of a 2026 World Cup qualifying match.

James Rodríguez (left) and Néstor Lorenzo (right) look to guide Colombia back to the World Cup / IMAGO/Agencia-MexSport

Colombia head coach Néstor Lorenzo accused Bolivia of spying on his team with the Colombian Football Federation ready to file a formal complaint with evidence.

"It's regrettable that they send people to spy on you," Lorenzo said in his pre-match press conference. "I don't know where these people came from or who it was but we identified them, we have pictures and we'll file a complaint.

"Of course we want to train with the discretion that we deserve, with the intimacy we deserve. This was a breach of the group's intimacy," he added.

Bolivia's manager Óscar Villegas downplayed the situation and signaled that images of Bolivia's closed door training sessions had also been leaked.

With all of the hostility in the air, Colombia will try to continue its strong form that sees La Sele sitting second in the World Cup qualifier standings only behind Argentina. Bolivia sits eighth in the standings with the game being played at the Estadio Municipal del Alto, located almost two and a half miles above sea level—one of the highest altitude stadiums on the planet.

Lorenzo's accusations come just four mouths after the Canadian women's national team was docked six points at the Olympic Games and ordered to pay a $313,000 fine by FIFA for spying on opponents in Paris.

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