Australia accused of ‘espionage’

Sydney, Nov. 14: Honduras accused Australia of using a drone for “espionage” on Tuesday, giving an extra edge to their winner-takes-all playoff to reach next year's World Cup.

Coach Jorge Luis Pinto called it “embarrassing” after a drone was spotted hovering near an official training session — even though Australian reports said it was being flown by children.

Pinto has also reportedly claimed that Honduran media leaked information to Australia, and suggested the Socceroos swept for hidden cameras ahead of Friday’s 0-0 first-leg draw in San Pedro Sula.

“I think the incident is embarrassing for such an advanced country. I think it's a pity,” Pinto said, when asked about the drone.

“(When Australia came to Honduras) they checked every bathroom of the stadium to see if we had cameras. What a shame, in a country with this culture and level, asking to do that. Let’s not be naive. It’s espionage in football that begins to happen with this technology. It needs to be controlled,” he said.

“Like (the video assistant referee) made its way into football, drones have made their way into espionage,” he added.

Australia coach Ange Postecoglou earlier brushed off the claim of an information leak, saying he was “not really concerned about it to be honest”.

“We are flat-out focusing on ourselves. There was a fair bit of drama around before the first game, again we stayed right out of it,” he said.