New SPY-GATE scandal erupts in Italy as ‘security catch a Torino staff member hiding and taking notes during a Roma training session’ ahead of tonight’s Serie A clash

Torino have reportedly been caught spying on a Roma training session ahead of the two teams facing each other in Serie A tonight.

Roma are due to host Torino at the Stadio Olimpico, with Daniele De Rossi’s side having the chance to move within two points of fifth-placed Atalanta if they can secure a win.

However, their preparations may have been disrupted by their opponents after Torino staff member Michele Orecchio was spotted hiding and taking notes at Roma’s training ground over the weekend, according to Corriere dello Sport via Tutto Mercato Web.

Orecchio was caught during a routine check by security, after appearing to be sent by Torino manager Ivan Juric to gather information on how Roma might approach tonight’s game.

It is unclear how long he was at Roma’s training ground for or how much tactical information he was able to gather.

Torino have reportedly been spying on Roma’s training ahead of the league meeting

Torino, who are managed by Ivan Juric (pictured), had a staff member at Roma’s training ground taking notes

But this is not the first time that Orecchio has done this ahead of a game against Roma.

Last April, Orecchio was found with recording equipment by Jose Mourinho’s assistant Nuno Santos at Roma’s training facility.

Once again, Orecchio seemed to have been deployed to get an early look at how Mourinho’s men might line up for the match.

His spying mission ultimately proved unsuccessful as he was caught in the act and Torino lost 1-0 to Roma, with Paulo Dybala scoring the only goal of the game.

Mourinho has since been replaced by De Rossi, but Torino still appear keen on getting any advantage they can ahead of kick-off against the Italian giants.

Spying on opponents is not a new concept in football, and former Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa famously admitted that the club snooped on all of their Championship rivals back in 2019.

He insisted that he had done nothing ‘illegal’ after a staff member was caught spying on Derby ahead of a league meeting, and proceeded to show the media a detailed spreadsheet of information that he had on all of Leeds’s opponents.

Bielsa explained how Leeds had watched training sessions of every team before facing them

Bielsa was adamant that he did nothing wrong, but then-Derby boss Frank Lampard disagreed, as he laid into Leeds’s pre-match tactics.

Lampard claimed he would rather quit coaching than send undercover staff to spy on other teams in the aftermath of the controversial incident.

Derby lost to Leeds after ‘spy-gate’, but gained their revenge later that season when they beat Bielsa’s men in the Championship play-off semi-finals.

The Rams failed to gain promotion back to the top flight, though, after losing to Aston Villa in the play-off final at Wembley.