Massimo Cellino provided the secret ingredient to end Leeds United’s poor run by cooking the team’s pre-match meal before their surprise victory over Bournemouth.
Cellino prepared a pasta dish for the players ahead of their 1-0 win at Elland Road, a first victory in eight and a result that ensured a home and away double over the Championship leaders this season.
However, it might prove to be Cellino’s last supper with the squad for 79 days – the duration of a Football League ban which was due to come into force on Wednesday, meaning the Italian cannot act as a “relevant person” at Leeds for almost three months.
The 58-year-old has been disqualified as Leeds’ majority owner and must not be involved in the day-to-day activities at the club until 10 April, although it remains to be seen how the League enforces the rule given that Cellino has been running the club from top to bottom since his takeover last year.
Neil Redfearn, United’s’ third permanent head coach of the season, said the squad were impressed with Cellino’s culinary skills. “No surprises it was pasta but it wasn’t bad. His new role might be club chef,” Redfearn told BBC Radio Leeds. “It was well cooked and we all gave our opinions of it to him and everyone said they liked it.”
Cellino worked in a London restaurant in 1975 when he was a student, the year Leeds were controversially defeated by Bayern Munich in the European Cup final.
His tenure so far has been colourful to say the least, with Leeds struggling in the Championship and six points off the bottom three and currently under a League transfer embargo after breaching financial fair play regulations during the reign of the previous owners Gulf Finance House Capital.
The former Cagliari owner, who plays in a rock band, was on Monday disqualified as Leeds owner, after a professional conduct committee chaired by Tim Kerr QC rejected the Italian’s appeal against an initial decision to bar him in December.
Cellino, who could yet make a further appeal, did not pay import duty tax on his yacht, the Nelie, in 2012, an offence deemed to be dishonest even though it is only a first-grade conviction in Sardinia.
His conviction becomes spent in the British legal system in March – however, two further tax-related cases on a Land Rover and a separate yacht, Lucky 23, are due to be heard in Italy later this year.
