BIELSA: I SENT SPY.. BUT IT IS NOT CHEATING IN ARGENTINA
FROM BACK PAGE claimed it was the second time Leeds had done it to them this season.
Bielsa is now in hot water with the Football Association. A spokesman for football’s governing body said: “We are aware of the incident at Derby County’s training ground and we will be investigating the matter.”
Mirror Sport revealed yesterday police had been called and Lampard (below) had to halt the training session after a suspect was spotted nearby. He was driving a car traced back to Leeds United.
Leeds boss Bielsa, talking ahead of last night’s showdown between the clubs, said: “It’s true there was someone from Leeds United. I am responsible for this incident.
“It doesn’t matter if this is legal or illegal or right or wrong. It’s enough that Derby and Frank Lampard felt it was not the right thing to do for me to believe we didn’t behave well.
“I didn’t ask the club (Leeds) for permission to do it. For some people it’s the wrong thing to do, for other people it’s not the wrong thing to do.
“I’ve been using this kind of practice since the qualifications of the World Cup for Argentina – it’s not illegal, we’ve been doing it publicly, we talk about it in the press.”
Angry Derby boss Lampard hit back: “If we’re going to start talking about ‘we did it somewhere else and it’s culturally fine’, then that doesn’t work for me.
“It’s up to the League to deal with it. We had someone before the game earlier in the season and we lost 4-1 – they (Leeds) had someone in the bushes that time as well.
After last night’s 2-0 victory over Derby, Bielsa added: “I don’t feel I’m someone who has cheated or did bad for two reasons.
“First of all, I didn’t get any advantage from this situation. It was just an additional source of information. But I understand Frank Lampard is angry because he thinks I’m someone who’s cheating.
“I don’t feel I cheated because my goal was not to get an illegal advantage. Watching a training session from a public space is not illegal.”
LEEDS 2 DERBY 0 SEE PULLOUT: PAGES 8 & 9