In a bizarre incident straight out of a Hollywood action movie, an Italian coach was caught spying on his opponents from a tree.
Corriere dello Sport reports that Michele Orecchio, a close associate of Torino coach Ivan Juric, was reportedly spotted perched in a tree outside AS Roma’s training ground on Sunday, February 25th, the day before the two teams were due to meet in Serie A.
Orecchio was discovered by police during a routine patrol and was ordered to leave the area immediately.
This is not the first time that Orecchio has been caught spying on his opponents. In April 2023, he was caught lurking around the same training ground, then under the management of Jose Mourinho.
On that occasion, Roma won the match 1-0 thanks to a penalty from Paulo Dybala. It remains to be seen whether Torino will be able to repeat the trick this time around.
The incident has drawn widespread attention and ridicule, with many people comparing Orecchio to James Bond or a spy from a Cold War thriller.
It is unclear what punishment, if any, Orecchio will face from Torino. However, it is safe to say that he will be keeping a much lower profile in the future.
C’est digne d’un film ! 😂
Un collaborateur d’Ivan Jurić, l’entraîneur du Torino, aurait espionné la mise au vert de l’AS Roma hier après-midi. 🕵️♂️
La police, qui aurait fait une ronde aux alentours du centre d’entraînement, l’aurait trouvé, contrôlé puis éloigné des lieux.… pic.twitter.com/xce3dkmK3r
— Footballogue (@Footballogue) February 26, 2024
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