Bill Belichick could learn from the Chinese

TEH ENG KOON/AFP/Getty Images On Wednesday, the Chinese defeated Denmark 3-2 in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, which was played in China. After the game, Danish coach Kenneth Heiner-Moller refused to shake hands with his Chinese counterpart. Heiner-Moller said the slight was due to frustration with what happened on the pitch. However, others have suggested ...

By , a staff writer at Foreign Policy from 2014-2017.
599388_070913_chinesesoccer_05.jpg
599388_070913_chinesesoccer_05.jpg

TEH ENG KOON/AFP/Getty Images

TEH ENG KOON/AFP/Getty Images

On Wednesday, the Chinese defeated Denmark 3-2 in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, which was played in China. After the game, Danish coach Kenneth Heiner-Moller refused to shake hands with his Chinese counterpart. Heiner-Moller said the slight was due to frustration with what happened on the pitch. However, others have suggested that Heiner-Moller was upset about an incident that happened the day before the match.

On Tuesday, Denmark team officials discovered two men behind a two-way mirror taping a strategy meeting. Team spokeswoman Pia Schou Nielsen said the two men were Chinese, describing the incident as “like a spy movie.”

It’s not clear whether the men were acting on behalf of the Chinese side. FIFA said it had conducted an investigation and would not pursue the matter further. Whatever the case, it shows the use of videotape to gain a competitive advantage in sports is not a strictly a Patriots’ act. The Chinese do get style points for the two-way mirror, though.

David Francis was a staff writer at Foreign Policy from 2014-2017.

Read More On China | East Asia | Sports

More from Foreign Policy

The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.
The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.

America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose

Global war is neither a theoretical contingency nor the fever dream of hawks and militarists.

A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.
A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.

The West’s Incoherent Critique of Israel’s Gaza Strategy

The reality of fighting Hamas in Gaza makes this war terrible one way or another.

Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.
Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.

Biden Owns the Israel-Palestine Conflict Now

In tying Washington to Israel’s war in Gaza, the U.S. president now shares responsibility for the broader conflict’s fate.

U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.
U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.

Taiwan’s Room to Maneuver Shrinks as Biden and Xi Meet

As the latest crisis in the straits wraps up, Taipei is on the back foot.