Just when you thought the news of Leeds United and “SpyGate” started to die down, another spanner has been thrown into the works.
Real life James Bond Marcelo Bielsa was caught sending a spy to Derby County’s training ground ahead of the two sides' Championship match in mid-January.
After sensationally admitting to spying on Derby County’s training session, Leeds United has continued league play waiting to hear back from the FA and the EFL over possible punishment. Not only did Bielsa spy on Derby County, but every single one of Leeds United's opponents.
Former England international and current Derby County manager Frank Lampard said: "(Spying) wasn't peeking over a fence, it was on hands and knees with pliers in hand. ... Now it is about how much the League or FA decide they want to stop what happened going forward — or if they don't. Maybe other clubs will copy it if it is not dealt with."
The #EFL has today written to @LUFC requesting their observations in regard to an incident that took place in the vicinity of @dcfcofficial’s training ground.
— EFL (@EFL) January 15, 2019
Leeds United and the EFL recently held a two-day meeting to discuss the incident. Friday, the EFL announced that the investigation into Leeds' spying is set to continue in order to clarify a few things. To the chagrin of the Leeds staff, investigation will proceed as normal.
BREAKING: The investigation into @LUFC boss Marcelo Bielsa and 'Spygate' will continue due to "a number of areas that require further exploration and clarification", the @EFL has confirmed. #SSN pic.twitter.com/tvTMYpCrqJ
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) February 8, 2019
The continuation of the investigation doesn’t come at a great time for the Yorkshire club, as it’s currently chasing promotion and the Championship title.
Since the spying incident, Leeds has lost twice, sending the Whites down into second position, level on points with Norwich City. What’s worse for Leeds is that it lost its last match to Norwich at home, and now play fellow Championship challenger Middlesbrough on Saturday.
Many think “SpyGate” and the news that the EFL will continue to investigate Leeds is a disruption to Leeds’ title challenge. Leeds’ form has dipped for quite some time now, and it has only won two matches in the last seven. Nonetheless, it doesn’t help Leeds much anyway.
“It’s a conspiracy to muck up Leeds United’s chances of promotion.”
“Why would you do this on the eve of a massive game? It disrupts Leeds.”@talkSPORTDrive on the EFL and their handling of #LUFC #SpyGate row pic.twitter.com/gRDe2ALd5m— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) February 8, 2019
The EFL’s statement didn’t really reveal much other than the uncertainty surrounding Leeds. Whether it’s a fine, points deduction or both, the fact that the investigation has taken this long isn’t a good sign.
If you’re a Leeds United fan you don’t need to panic yet, but if points get deducted, I wouldn’t blame you if you did.
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