June 19 – FIFA are reportedly looking into allegations of a drone spying on the French national team’s training session in Brazil. Manager Didier Deschamps expressed concerns about privacy after his training session was interrupted by a hovering Phantom II autonomous micro-drone with a video camera.
He stated, during a press conference, satisfaction with FIFA dealing with the intrusion: “FIFA handles this and has been carrying out an inquiry; we don’t want any intrusion into our privacy. It’s very hard to fight this these days.”
Initial rumours had rival teams down as suspects – they would have sufficient motivation for the crime in the form of gaining tactical knowledge of the French team. And a crime it is because the drone was flown without authorization in Brazilian airspace.
Deschamps claims that he was doing nothing secretive at the time so it would have made disappointing viewing for any competitive foes.
However, further reports have indicated that the drone actually belonged to a hobbyist fan, assumedly wanting a sneak peek at a French training session for his own enjoyment. According to a translated report from BMFV TV, the man has subsequently been arrested.
Though this incident has turned out to be relatively harmless, the use of drones to secure an advantage may not be so farfetched. During a press conference, Deschamps stated, “Apparently drones are used more and more”, which raises interest about who have used the devices and when this was.
Messi fan arrested
A Brazilian who entered the pitch at Argentina’s public training last week was arrested yesterday for trespassing as he tried to enter the team camp in Belo Horizonte. With tears streaming down his cheeks, he told reporters outside the Cidade do Galo sports facility that all he wanted was Lionel Messi’s autograph on his Argentina shirt. On June 11, he had run up to Messi at the end of an open training session at the Independencia stadium in Belo Horizonte, and started shining his boots before he was led away by security guards.
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