There are few uneventful chapters in the history of Leeds United but even by the club's standards, the last decade has been dizzying.
One of the most bizarre sagas unfolded in January 2019, when former Whites head coach Marcelo Bielsa was accused of spying on Derby County ahead of the meeting between the two sides in the Championship. The saga stirred up a rivalry between Leeds and Derby, who would go on to collide in some memorable matches in the aftermath of what was dubbed 'spygate'.
Bielsa was not a man who loved media attention during his tenure and tended to go about his business in an understated fashion but could not avoid the spotlight when details of 'spygate' began swirling around in the press.
LeedsLive have looked back on 'spygate', a saga which put Bielsa and Leeds firmly under the media spotlight.
What happened?
Leeds and Derby were both preparing to meet at Elland Road for a Championship clash scheduled for Friday, 11 January 2019.
On the day before the match, the Rams called Derbyshire Constabulary after seeing a man 'acting suspiciously' on a public footpath close to their training ground and he was later confirmed as a member of Bielsa's staff.
He was not arrested for observing Derby's preparations but was sent away.
Punishment
Leeds were issued with a £200,000 fine by the EFL for failing to act in 'utmost good faith' but Bielsa paid the fine himself.
Following the incident, the EFL introduced a new regulation stating that clubs cannot observe another club's training session in the period of 72 hours before a match between them.
What was said?
Bielsa took responsibility for sending the staff member and Leeds issued a statement outlining that Whites owner Andrea Radrizzani had met with Derby owner Mel Morris to apologise.
Bielsa said: "It’s true that there was someone from Leeds United. The responsibility of this incident is mine. I am responsible for it. There are some specifics that I need to give. It doesn’t matter if this is legal or illegal, right or wrong. For me, it is enough that Frank Lampard and Derby County felt that it was not the right thing to do.
"For me to see that, I didn’t behave well. Yesterday I talked to Frank Lampard and he told me that, for him, I didn’t respect the Fair Play rules. I have a different point of view on it but the important thing is what Frank Lampard and Derby County think.
"I am the only one responsible for it because I did not ask the permission of the club, of Leeds United, for it. Without trying to find a justification, I’ve been using this kind of practice since the qualifications for the World Cup with Argentina. This is not illegal. We’ve been doing it publicly. We talk about it in the press. For some people, it is the wrong thing to do. For other people, it is not the wrong thing to do."
Lampard was glad Bielsa had admitted to spying but was still displeased, insisting the incident had been a disruption.
Reacting to Bielsa's admission, he said: "Well, that’s good. I spoke to him yesterday afternoon myself, and he did the same to me, so I’m pleased he’s gone again and said that.
"I think it makes it easier to deal with. At least, on a sportsman’s level, it’s bad, in my opinion. If we’re going to start talking about ‘culturally, I did it somewhere else and it was fine’, then that doesn’t work for me because I don’t believe it is fine on that level. It’s disrupted our build up to this game.
"And the unfortunate thing for us is it’s disrupted us. From our end, without doing anything now, people are going to say I’m standing here trying to make an excuse pre-game. I will stand speak like this after the game - and more - if I have to; win, lose or draw, because of what happened."
Bielsa's response
As the debate over 'spygate' rumbled on, Bielsa made an extraordinary move intended to quell discussions about the incident ahead of the game that followed the visit of Derby, a trip to Stoke City.
In order to ensure the pre-match press conference ahead of the Stoke clash was dedicated to the match itself, he invited members of the press to Thorp Arch for a briefing.
He delivered a presentation that lasted 70 minutes, revealing the extent to which he analyses opponents and offering a fascinating insight into the preparation completed before games.
The Argentine delved into the way Derby set up tactically and explained his methods in meticulous detail, explaining to make attending journalists understand why he did not believe he was cheating.
Derby's revenge
Although Leeds secured a 2-0 win over Derby in the fixture that followed the spying incident, Derby exacted revenge on the Whites later that season.
As fate would have it, the two sides met in the play-offs and Leeds went into the second leg at Elland Road with an advantage having emerged victorious from the first leg.
However, the Rams fought back and secured a 4-3 aggregate win, booking a place in the play-off final at Wembley and leaving the Whites crestfallen.
Following the defeat, a number of Derby players mocked Leeds by pretending to peer through binoculars and in the changing rooms, Lampard and his squad were filmed singing 'stop crying Frank Lampard', a taunting tune Leeds supporters had directed at him.
Leeds have the last laugh
Derby went on to lose in the play-off final and remained in the Championship, giving Leeds the opportunity to have the last laugh.
The Rams had to form a guard of honour for Leeds when the two sides met in July 2020, as the Whites had already been crowned Championship title winners.
Leeds secured a 3-1 win at pride Park before celebrating on Derby's pitch and director of football Victor Orta was even spotted mocking the Rams with a pair of binoculars.
