The Korea men's national soccer team said on the 17th that an unauthorized drone appeared at its training ground during a closed practice ahead of the match against Mexico, prompting local military personnel to respond.
The drone appeared while the team was training that day at the Chivas Valle Verde training center in Zapopan, Mexico. The session was a closed practice in preparation for the Mexico match scheduled for the 19th of this month.
Shortly after training began, a security officer spotted the drone and alerted Mexico's military drone response team, which activated a signal-jamming device and brought it down.
Team security officials, local police, and military personnel rushed to where the drone crashed and found two men believed to be the operators, but they were not caught.
However, the team noted that video footage captured the moment the men retrieved the drone, which they expect will help identify them later.
A team official said, "Cases of unauthorized drones being found at overseas training camps do occur from time to time," adding, "Most were driven by public curiosity or for personal filming."
The official added, "However, this time, two men recovered the aircraft very quickly right after it crashed and left the scene, so it is hard to conclude whether it was to assess the team's strength, whether they were foreign media personnel, or just civilians."
A safety officer dispatched to the team by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) requested an investigation by local police and reported the matter to FIFA. The officer also requested cooperation to prevent a recurrence.