Derby County manager Frank Lampard has made an astounding accusation over the ‘spy’ sent by Leeds United to watch their training sessions in the build up to their Championship clash.
The match, which Leeds eventually won 2-0 at Elland Road, was overshadowed by the saga at the Rams’ training ground in which a man was questioned by police for acting suspiciously outside of the perimeter of the complex, Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa admitting pre-match that he did indeed send someone to watch on just as they did in his home country of Argentina.
Officers have just attended the Training Ground for @dcfcofficial After a suspicious male was seen at the perimeter fence. Excellent searching conducted & male was located. All checks above board!
Keeping the team safe to bring home a win against #LUFC on 11th! #SpyingIsCheating pic.twitter.com/a12Zj8gISX— Derby Response – This account is closing (@DerbyResponse) January 10, 2019
Speaking at his pre-Southampton press conference, Lampard made the stunning suggestion that the man involved was caught trying to break into the ground, before insisting that he was slamming the door on the whole event.
He told Leeds Live: “It’s a conversation between the FA and EFL, for them to decide if it’s worthy of a punishment.
“I’ve heard a lot said about it – and it is obviously a divisive issue. Whether something is legal has never been a benchmark in sport. He was on hands and knees with pliers in hand, so the intention was there.”
He went on to say that this would be the last thing he would say regarding the incident.
Opinion
Unbelievable. Is Lampard seriously suggesting that the Leeds member of staff was trying to cut through the fence with his pliers? That is a serious accusation and quite frankly against everything that has been suggested otherwise, especially from the police. It has been confirmed by the relevant authorities that the man was released without charge and that there was nothing untoward taking place, so either this is a stunning turn of events or Lampard is trying to twist the truth. It is probably for the best that the Derby boss does refrain from saying anything else about the whole situation before he truly puts his foot in it. While this has been quite an entertaining and debate-starting incident, hopefully fans of both sides can get back to enjoying what happens on the pitch rather than what is taking place around the fences of the training ground. After all, there really are bigger fish to fry for both clubs this season – namely promotion to the Premier League.