Ironic, strange and simply not right. Frank Lampard’s various reactions when he saw Leeds United and Marcelo Bielsa collected an award for fair play this week.
On Monday evening, in Milan, coach Benoit Delaval and captain Liam Cooper attended The Best FIFA Football Awards to receive 2019’s FIFA Fair Play Award.
The sport’s governing body had seen fit to recognise the Whites and Bielsa for their decision to gift a goal to Aston Villa in April after scoring while Jonathan Kodjia was injured on the turf.
However, three months prior to that the head coach was in the eye of the storm created by his decision to watch a private Derby County training session from public land.
Spygate, as it became known, resulted in a £200,000 fine for United (which Bielsa paid) and a change to EFL regulations.
Lampard, Rams boss at the time, saw irony in United and Bielsa being recognised for fair play in the same year they were punished for spying.
“Everyone had the same reaction because Spygate attracted a lot of news and quite rightly so,” said Lampard.
“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, to be straight.
“I did smile. I don’t know who votes for it. Everyone knows what happened with Spygate is well documented.
“The rules changed slightly because of it and they were fined. I felt it was improper, I don’t have to say that anymore.
“To get a fair play award off the back of that, I thought it was irony at first. It seemed strange to me. The moment, to me it was a dead rubber versus Villa.
“The ball slowed down to the point of the ball going out and it was quite right they allowed Villa to score.
“Quite right to balance out what had happened. That was that. It was a strange decision for them to win that.”
