The EFL have handed out a massive fine to Leeds United following revelations that manager Marcelo Bielsa’s staff have been spying on opposition training sessions.
The club have been punished with a £200,000 fine after Bielsa admitted he had sent a member of his technical staff to spy on every single one of his opponents’ training sessions.
Allegations of spying first arose after a Leeds staff member was caught in the act outside Derby’s training ground ahead of a match between the two teams on 10 January.
While there are no rules specifically regarding watching opposition training sessions, the English Football League have handed out the fine as a deterrent to stop such a situation from happening again, calling the actions of Bielsa and his staff as falling “significantly short of the standards expected”.
Leeds fans will be somewhat relieved at the sanction, which included an official reprimand, as fears of a points deduction had supporters worried about the effect it would have on their push for promotion into the Premier League.
Bielsa has also received a formal warning from the FA, while the EFL are going to institute a rule that forbids clubs from viewing their opposition training in the 72 hours before a match, except in the rare instance they have been invited to do so.