Derby County are under investigation by the EFL over the sale of Pride Park last year, and plenty of Leeds fans are relishing in what they see as a case of Karma coming back to bite the midlands club.
Derby and then manager Frank Lampard were at the centre of the Spygate scandal that embroiled Leeds last season, after officials caught a member of the Leeds staff watching a training session ahead of a game between the two clubs.
Lampard was particularly vocal and said that what Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa had done was wrong.
Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani hit back after Derby sold their stadium to a sister company of owner Mel Morris, in a bid to circumnavigate financial fair play.
He said that was more a case of cheating than what Leeds had done.
Radrizzani: Selling your stadium to a sister company is more cheating than sending a scout to see (Derby’s) training. #FTFootballSummit
— Raphael Honigstein (@honigstein) May 21, 2019
Now, in an exclusive Times story, Derby face possible sanctions after the £80m sale of the stadium, despite it being listed on the club’s books with a valuation of £41m.
Plenty of Leeds fans reacted to the story with glee – here are the best tweets:
15 point deduction incoming for Derby county ????
— Scooter Boy – LUFC (@Widderssoul) September 4, 2019
About time they were investigated. Can the EFL look at how Rooney’s salary is being paid from January onwards while they’re at it!
— Simon Forster (@SAForster) September 4, 2019
Well that’s just brightened up my day
— Andrew Swan Esq. ?? (@swanandrew) September 4, 2019
Karma is such a beautiful thing
— Smalesy (@shez_dictates) September 4, 2019
You what #lufc ???? pic.twitter.com/zGrlYBH1F3
— ST (@Yorkshire77) September 4, 2019
— James???????? (@J_4710) September 4, 2019
Two Leeds fans used the same GIF to make their point – a pointed reference to the binoculars from spygate that became such a bone of contention when Frank Lampard and the Derby players celebrated after their play-off victory against Leeds.
The Leeds fans think revenge is a dish best served cold.
Statement from the EFL reads as follows. “We have found that this was 100% legal and within the rules of the EFL. However if any teams based in the Leeds area do this, this will instantly mean the team will be forever banned from the league and will be fined £17b”
— just another lufc fan (@Jamesmp121) September 4, 2019
Plenty of Leeds fans talked about an agenda against them by the EFL last season and one fan responded to the Times story with a quip that no other clubs but Leeds would be punished for something like this.
Kick them out of the league
— neil (@theleedsboy) September 4, 2019
Should have a points deduction. Miles worse than spygate.
— Frank Reynolds (@lufcrumham) September 4, 2019
One Leeds fan echoed Radrizzani’s comments from last season and said that what Derby have done is “miles worse” than Spygate.
He’s got a point. Watching a team train from a public road when there was no official rule against it seems to pale into insignificance when put alongside a deliberate action designed to exploit a loophole in the rules.
Something that was brilliantly lampooned in the last tweet when a fan said, “But Leeds looked over a fence”.
But Leeds looked over a fence
— Kevan Leighton (@kevAn_with_an_A) September 4, 2019