London, Feb 19 : Leeds United have escaped a points penalty in their quest to be promoted to the Premier League after it was announced Monday they had been fined GBP 200,000 (USD 259,000, 229,000 euros) and reprimanded for spying on their opponents.
Leeds faced an investigation by the English Football League after veteran manager Marcelo Bielsa admitted sending someone to spy on Derby at their training ground ahead of a match last month.
The club formally admitted a breach of Regulation 3.4 which states: “In all matters and transactions relating to the League, each Club shall behave towards each other Club and The League with the utmost good faith.”
Many were uncertain, however, whether Bielsa had committed a specific offence and the EFL now plan to clarify the situation by introducing a new rule that bans teams from viewing opposition training in the 72 hours immediately before a match, unless invited to do so.
EFL chief executive Shaun Harvey, announcing the punishments against Leeds, said Monday: “The sanctions imposed highlight how actions such as this cannot be condoned and act as a clear deterrent should any club seek to undertake poor conduct in the future.
“We will now look to move on from this incident and commence the discussions about introducing a specific regulation at a meeting with all clubs later this month.”
