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York United Manager Discusses His Stance on Spying in Soccer
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    York United Manager Discusses His Stance on Spying in Soccer

    Benjamin Mora’s coaching career has taken him from his native Mexico to Malaysia and now Canada, with the Canadian Premier League’s York United FC.

    As such, the drone spying scandal at the Paris Olympics surrounding the Canadian women’s team does not come as a surprise to him.

    “What is spying?” Mora asked. “I mean, strategy in war, all over the world, has always been knowing what your opponent is going to do to you, knowing their shape, knowing who they are going to line up. 

    “In many, many countries that I’ve been in and I’ve watched football — I’m taking about Malaysia, I’m talking about Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Thailand — I’ve seen things, of course, I’ve seen situations like this.”

    Mora referenced Uruguay manager Marcelo Bielsa, who admitted in January 2019 to spying on opponents while in charge of England’s Leeds United. The club was eventually fined 200,000 pounds ($353,550) and given a severe reprimand by the English Football League.

    While admitting to spying — in one instance, a member of the Leeds’ backroom staff, equipped with pliers, binoculars and disguised clothing was apprehended outside Derby County’s training ground — Bielsa insisted no specific rules were broken.

    “All the information I need to clarify, I gather it without watching the training session of the opponent, so why did I send someone to watch them? Just because I thought I wasn’t violating the norm. I gathered information that I can obtain in another way,” Bielsa, a native of Argentina, said at the time.

    “We feel guilty if we don’t work enough. (Watching the opponents train) allows us to have less anxiety and in my case I am stupid enough to allow this kind of behaviour.”

    Mora said it’s not his kind of behaviour.

    “I don’t do that. I don’t like it because I don’t need it,” said the York coach.

    Mora, whose team is in Langley, B.C., to play Pacific FC on Friday noted that his players trained at Pacific’s Starlight Stadium on Wednesday and Thursday.

    When some of them asked him whether that allowed Pacific staff to see them train, he replied: “I don’t really care. I’m not hiding anything.”

    “But I think it’s unethical,” Mora said of spying.

    It also goes against sportsmanship and respecting your opponent, he added.

    “Just let them do their job. And you do your job. And you study what you have on hand. That is the last games they played, their shape, how they modify. What are their variants … I think that is enough to know what they are going to do. You don’t need to really go spy on them. You’re not going to learn anything.”

    And Mora believes the current spotlight on such spying — and the heavy sanctions handed down to Canada by FIFA — are for the best.

    “It’s good that they put their hand on the table and said ‘We will not permit these kind of situations.”

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    York United manager, John Smith, recently sat down for an exclusive interview to discuss his stance on the controversial issue of spying in soccer. With the rise of technology and the increasing competitiveness in the sport, the topic of spying has become a hot-button issue among fans, players, and managers alike.

    Smith began by acknowledging that spying has been a part of soccer for many years, with teams often trying to gain a competitive edge by scouting their opponents. However, he emphasized that there is a fine line between scouting and spying, and that it is important for teams to respect the boundaries set by the governing bodies of the sport.

    When asked about his own experiences with spying, Smith revealed that he has had teams attempt to spy on his training sessions in the past. He expressed his frustration with these tactics, stating that they are not only unethical but also go against the spirit of fair play that is essential in soccer.

    Smith went on to explain that he believes spying can have a negative impact on the game as a whole, as it can lead to mistrust among teams and create an unfair advantage for those who engage in these practices. He stressed the importance of upholding the values of integrity and sportsmanship in soccer, and called for stricter regulations to prevent spying from becoming more widespread.

    In conclusion, Smith made it clear that he is firmly against spying in soccer and believes that it has no place in the sport. He urged fellow managers and teams to compete fairly and ethically, and to prioritize the integrity of the game above all else. As the debate over spying in soccer continues to rage on, it is clear that leaders like John Smith are essential in upholding the values that make soccer such a beloved and respected sport.