I doubt this news will come as a shock to anyone, the EFL have confirmed today that they have launched a formal investigation into Spygate having received a formal complaint from Derby County about Leeds United.
The background here is well known and even those in the game can’t quite agree on whether or not it’s commonplace to take a cheeky look at the opposition’s training routines when fortune befalls you, but it was kind of inevitable that the EFL would look deeply into it, even though from my reading a rule hasn’t been breached.
A statement from the EFL earlier this afternoon read.
“The EFL has today written to Leeds United requesting their observations in regard to an incident that took place in the vicinity of Derby County’s training ground on Thursday 10 January, 2019. The EFL has now determined that it is appropriate to consider this matter in the context of a number of EFL Regulations whilst also noting that the alleged actions appear to contravene the Club’s Charter that all EFL Clubs agreed to in summer 2018. The decision to progress this matter to a formal investigation comes as a result of the Club’s manager, Marcelo Bielsa, admitting to instructing an individual to undertake the acts being complained of in a television interview broadcast on Sky Sports on Friday 11 January 2019.”
The EFL also confirmed that the Football Association are also looking into the matter.
It doesn’t matter how much Frank Lampard or some pundits bleat about it, if a rule hasn’t been broken that is the end of it, so I assume the EFL and FA are looking to act here to say they’ve acted and we’ll get a strongly worded statement telling us not to do it again.
Others aren’t quite as calm and are expecting them to come up with something that means they can punish us fully and either put financial sanctions or a points deduction on the table.
Corrupt
— ben (@benIufc) January 15, 2019
Pathetic, I swear to god if u sanction leeds…
— Lachlan Wright (@Lachlan_Wright1) January 15, 2019
A man was stood on a public road ffs. Get a grip!
— Rob ???????? (@rodadod) January 15, 2019
You lot take the absolute piss.. you have owners at Blackpool and Bolton tearing the clubs apart and what do u do? Nothing!????
But Leeds where no rules were broken and the person was on a public path and Derby chose not to train in doors on their 3G pitch your investigating. knobs— Bite Yer Legs ???????? (@biteyourlegs) January 15, 2019
Maybe someone should look into taking Lampard's winners medals off him for all the inside information his former managers got in ways worse than standing on public land… ????♀️
— Amy Kelly (@aimzk1990) January 15, 2019
Geeting a bit embarrassing now to be honest.
Wasn't even on derby's property.
— Benjamin Thornton???????? (@BenjaminTlufc) January 15, 2019
That's it in a nutshell mate
— Richard Chew ???????? (@rickyachew) January 15, 2019