An Australian newspaper pulled a Spitjet-style move the day before the second Women’s World Cup semi-final between England and hosts Australia.
The Daily Telegraph, a tabloid newspaper, flew a helicopter over a closed practice session in England, took pictures and posted them online on Tuesday morning. The photos don’t come out very often, but they were still taken on a day when the media wasn’t allowed to attend the training.
The newspaper did something similar with the Australian team during Sam Kerr’s recovery from a calf injury earlier in the tournament.
“Welcome to the jungle, lionesses, we have fun and games,” the article read. If England’s lionesses thought they’d be happily flying into the World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday night straight under the radar from their secret hideaway in the Central Coast, they’ve been in for a shameless shock, as these exclusive photos show.
“It may not be in the spirit of football, but after the men’s Ashes cricket series last month, we will allow England’s moral stewards to make a judgment on what is and is not acceptable in the world of sport.”
The English Football Association did not comment on the article, according to what was reported ESPN.
The term “Spygate” originated in 2007 when the NFL’s New England Patriots were accused of filming opposing team practices from 2007. A similar scandal also hit tennis this year when Carlos Alcaraz’s father was accused of filming Novak Djokovic’s training sessions throughout Wimbledon. Alcaraz eventually defeated Djokovic in the final.
The Daily Telegraph is published by a subsidiary of News Corp – the company owned by Rupert Murdoch that also publishes the Wall Street Journal. University of Canberra Digital Roundup 2023 It found the Daily Telegraph to be the second least trusted newspaper in Australia, behind only Sky News.
Whoever wins between England and Australia on Wednesday will face Spain in the World Cup final. This will be the first final appearance for the women’s team in either country.