Former Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani has shared how he reacted when he first heard about the infamous Spygate scandal involving former head coach Marcelo Bielsa.
The Spygate scandal would go on to define Leeds’ first season under Marcelo Bielsa, as he looked to guide his side to promotion from the Championship.
Having already beaten Derby County heavily in the first meeting of the season, Bielsa was forced to admit that Leeds had sent a member of staff to spy on Derby’s training session ahead of the second meeting between the two sides at Elland Road.
Leeds were eventually fined £200,000 by the EFL, and former Derby manager Frank Lampard got the last laugh as his side knocked Leeds out in the play-off semi-finals.
Andrea Radrizzani was the Leeds owner at the time and was forced to deal with the fallout from the incident. Now, he has shared how he reacted when he first learned about the scandal.
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Andrea Radrizzani recalls his reaction to the Leeds United Spygate scandal
Speaking in an interview with Mail Online, Radrizzani has explained why he can now look back and laugh at the famous Spygate incident in January 2019.
According to the former Leeds owner, he was in the car when he received a phone call from the police, and he could not believe what he was hearing.
“I was in the car when I got the call to tell me the police found someone, and I could not believe it,” Radrizzani said.
“I was worried, then angry, but in the end it was so entertaining that I loved it. I didn’t like the reaction of the media because it wasn’t that [bad]. We had a lot of enemies in the end. I guess you either love or hate Leeds.
However, the incident did not impact his relationship with Bielsa, and Radrizzani hopes to see the former Leeds boss soon. He added: “I lost contact with Marcelo, but I would love to see him at the World Cup next year.”
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Leeds faced calls for severe Marcelo Bielsa punishment
The revelation that Bielsa had sent people to watch opposition training sessions sent shockwaves through English football and created a moral divide among pundits.
Several commentators called for Leeds to receive a sporting punishment, including Stuart Pearce, who called for the Derby game to be replayed on Sky Sports, stating: “We’ve not seen anything as clear-cut as this before. If it were me, the team that’s affected the most is Derby, I’d reverse the scoreline.”
Bielsa also gave a remarkable press conference in an attempt to highlight the level of his preparation, openly sharing his pre-match analysis on Derby to a stunned media corps.
The scandal established the hostile narrative between the two sides in a dramatic season and helped deepen the animosity that still exists between Lampard and the Leeds fanbase.
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