Liverpool winger Luis Diaz is among three Premier League players to be caught up in a 2026 World Cup qualifying ‘spying’ saga.
Colombia are set to clash with Bolivia on Thursday night in a qualifying match for the at the Estadio Municipal El Alto. However, the pre-game atmosphere has been overshadowed by allegations of espionage.
Colombia's manager Nestor Lorenzo has openly accused Bolivia of sending an individual to spy on his team's training session whilst they prepare for the clash.
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During his press briefing, he stated: "It is unfortunate that they send you to spy and that I don't know where he came from or who he was, but we identified him, we have photos and we report the case there."
He further expressed his displeasure, saying: "Of course, one wants to train with the discretion that one deserves, and what happened was a breach of the privacy of the team. We have photographed the person of everything, we will see how we proceed in these hours."
Lorenzo also commented on the warm reception in Cochabamba despite the incident: "The circumstances you mentioned are isolated, we are very happy in Cochabamba, they have received us very well, grateful to the Colombian people for the welcome and affection, there are people who want to win at any cost, or who do things that are inappropriate."
Diaz isn’t the only Premier League star to be embroiled in the saga.
Jhon Duran, fresh from penning a new extensive contract with Aston Villa, and Crystal Palace midfielder Jefferson Lerma are both expected to represent Colombia in the clash. Daniel Munoz was also named in Lorenzo’s squad for the match but withdrew due to injury.
