The players of BFC Dynamo had political training and were held under a strict discipline, demanding both political reliability, obedience and a moral lifestyle. No contacts with the West was allowed. The players were also under surveillance by the Stasi. They would have their telephones tapped, their rooms at their training camp tapped and be accompanied by personnel from the Stasi during international trips. The Ministry of Interior and the Stasi had employees integrated in the club and it is likely that some individual players were recruited as informants, so called Unofficial collaborators (IM), with the task of collecting information about other players. During an away trip to Belgrade for a match against Partizan Belgrade in the second round of the 1983-84 European Cup, players Falko Götz and Dirk Schlegel defected to West Germany. With help from the West German Consulate general in Zagreb, they received false passports and managed to escape to Munich. East German state news agency ADN reported that Falko Götz and Dirk Schlegen had been "wooed by West German managers with large sums of money" and "betrayed their team". Although Falko Götz and Dirk Schlegen were labeled as "sports traitors", their defection had little effect on the team. According to Christian Backs, the team only received more political training, and there were no reprisals. However, the loss of two regular players before the match against Partizan Belgrade was a challenge. Head coach Jürgen Bogs decided to give then 18-year old Andreas Thom a chance to make his international debut, in replacement of Falko Götz. Andreas Thom would make a terrific debut. BFC Dynamo won the match 2-0 and would eventually advance to the quarter finals.