Not right for Leeds to win Fair Play award, confesses Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard admitted that he was shocked to see Marcelo Bielsa and Leeds United win FIFA’s Fair Play Award after their actions against Derby County. The Peacocks and Derby were engulfed by the Spygate scandal last season, where Bielsa had sent a scout to spy on Lampard’s training sessions.
Yet that was never considered by FIFA, as they gave Bielsa and his club the Fair Play gong for their performances against Aston Villa. The Peacocks let Villa players score an uncontested goal after Leeds had scored the goal that would have given then second place and direct spot amongst the newly-promoted sides. But instead, Bielsa forced his players to allow Villa to score a goal, allowing Sheffield United to jump above and keep Leeds United in a playoff place.
The Peacocks lost to Derby County, who eventually lost to Aston Villa and former Derby County manager Frank Lampard has revealed that he’s shocked that Leeds won the Fair Play award. The now Chelsea boss was referring to the Spygate incident between Derby County and Leeds United, where Bielsa sent a member of his staff to spy on a Derby training session. Leeds were eventually fined 200,000 and given a severe reprimand by the EFL, which did put a lot of pressure on Bielsa for a while.
“I did smile. Do we know who votes for these things? What happened with Spygate was very well documented, and then they got fined, the rules changed slightly because of it, I felt it was improper. To get a fair play award off the back of that is...I thought it was irony at first. It was a strange decision for them to win that,” Lampard told Sky Sports.
“I think everyone had the same reaction (to the fair play award), to be fair, because a lot of news was put to Spygate. And I think quite rightly so and it got dealt with in the right way, so when you go and give an award for fair play in the same year then I don't think it's right."
Now manager at Chelsea, Lampard has won a lot of plaudits for the way he has used Chelsea’s youth system, allowing their players to flourish. It has not been by choice for the Englishman, with an imposed transfer ban, but few critics or fans expected it to work this well. Yet one youngster who has yet to make a mark is Callum Hudson-Odoi and Lampard expects big things from the teenager.
Hudson-Odoi has recently signed a new five-year contract with the Blues, before making a goalscoring return from injury in the Carabao Cup. But despite his comeback, Lampard went on to say that he wants the young forward to keep his head down and keep performing, further adding that the forward needs to try and hit Raheem Sterling’s level.
"I know Callum's talent and he's got huge talent, hence why the club was so keen to get him signed up and we're all delighted with that. But there is a lot of work to do. Raheem Sterling is an incredible example of a player with great talent whose work ethic added to that talent, and an improvement in a short period of time through absolute dedication to a complete player that we are all wowed by.
"(That) is exactly the great model for Callum because he has those talents. And I want him to be the best, the absolute best, because he has the potential to do that,” concluded the Englishman.
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