Octocopter spies on Dutch team

NOORDWIJK, Netherlands  ●  An unmanned helicopter equipped  with a small camera interrupted the training of the Dutch national team in the Amsterdam ArenA ahead of the World Cup qualifier against Turkey.

Louis van Gaal and his selection saw the so-called ‘octocopter’ emerging above the field emerging during practice.

“It was a training behind closed doors, but it seems that this is no longer the case”, said Van Gaal a couple of hours later at a press conference in Noordwijk.

Van Gaal: “A coach and team have to deal with this.  The KNVB – Dutch football FA – has to find out what was going on.

“The purpose of a practice behind closed door is not that camera’s will be able to see what is going on and report to our Turkey opponent.”

The players were, according to Van Gaal, more upset about the unwanted ‘guest’ in the air than he.

“I used to be trainer of Barcelona. Even then they were filming everything we did out of a high rise.

“Therefore, this doesn’t surprise me, even if it does not belong in football.”

The small helicopter was hired by Pownews, a broadcasting company.

“It is a national sport for us trying to get a glimpse of the training.  This time we wanted to do it this way,” said Pownews president Dominique Weesie.

The helicopter later crashed in the Amsterdam Arena, damaging an iron shacks section of the stadium.