Furious Frank Lampard refuses Marcelo Bielsa’s explanation after Leeds manager says 'spying' on Derby is not cheating

Frank Lampard and Marcelo Bielsa - Marcelo Bielsa: I am responsible for 'spying' on Derby because I didn't ask Leeds' permission – I didn't behave well
Frank Lampard (left) and Marcelo Bielsa meet at Elland Road on Friday night Credit: REX FEATURES

Frank Lampard was in no mood to accept Marcelo Bielsa’s explanation for sending a spy to watch Derby County train following a chastening defeat at Elland Road and claimed his behaviour amounted to cheating.

Bielsa, denied he had cheated or even gain an unfair sporting advantage, which suggests this was not the first time he has done something like this since he became Leeds boss in the summer.

Lampard, though, insisted he could not shrug off Bielsa’s actions as just a cultural difference and the Football Association has confirmed it is going to investigate, although it is unclear what rules have actually been broken.

Biesla tried to take the sting out of the scandal by admitting he was solely responsible, but he stopped short of apologising, insisting he had only contacted Lampard to explain his behaviour rather than justify it.

“I don’t think it’s right, I can’t see how anyone who plays sport thinks it right,” said Lampard. “I don’t see why you would do it if you did not think you were going to get a sporting advantage.

“Cheating is a big word, but if you talk about details and gaining an advantage, it’s not just a toe, it’s a hop, skip and jump as far as I’m concerned.

Derby County
Derby summoned police to their training ground before a man was escorted away Credit: GETTY IMAGES

“To find out an opposition manager has sent someone undercover to spy on our training session, I believe that is wrong. I’ve always admired Bielsa from afar, his innovative methods, I’ve got his book at home, but when I find something out like this, if this what he feels it takes, that’s not for me.

“When you come in with tools, pliers and boltcutters to break into private property, to crawl on your hands and knees to spy on a training session, it goes beyond what is right I believe.

“We can’t open the door to this happening every week. I don’t think there is a specific rule that has been broken, I don’t know what needs to be done, that’s not for me to decide. The guy hasn’t committed a criminal offence, but it’s going to be ridiculous if this sort of thing goes on.

"If we're going to start talking about 'culturally, I did it somewhere else' - that doesn't work for me. If I'm lucky enough to do well and travel to another country, I'll find out what the etiquette is in that country and abide by that. It's disrupted our build-up to this game.

"Obviously it's not just Derby County, we had somebody the day before our first game against them which we lost 4-1. Now Leeds can beat you 4-1, they're a fantastic team, but we had somebody in the bushes that day, twice this season now.”

Bielsa’s behaviour is likely to have upset other Championship managers, as they will suspect their training sessions have also been spied on by the league leaders.

But while the 63-year-old said he must respect the moral code of the country he is working in, he was generally dismissive of the criticism it has attracted. “I can explain my behaviour, but I cannot justify it because I have to respect the norms in the country that I work,” he said. “I’ve done this practice many times.

“I started when I was trying to qualify for the World Cup with Argentina and Chile. It’s something legal in South America, when this goes public it does not provoke the same sense of indignation that it does in England.

“If you watch a training session from a public space it’s not illegal, you cannot involve the police. It does not generate the indignation it does in this country.

“I don’t feel as though I’m someone who has cheated for one main reason, first of all I didn’t get any advantage from this situation, no added advantage from watching the training session. It’s just an additional source of information.

“Frank Lampard told me I have violated the fair play rules, I understand it. But I didn’t call him to apologise, I contacted him to say I was responsible. He was direct in his answer and I respect that. I do not feel as though I’m a person who has cheated.”

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