Marcelo Bielsa and his coaching staff were all present at tonight’s press conference at Thorp Arch, as the Leeds United head-coach addressed the ‘spygate’ controversy that has dominated football headlines since Friday.

Leeds’ Argentinian head-coach admitted to spying on Derby County’s training session last Thursday ahead of the two side's meeting on Friday in the Sky Bet Championship – a game that Leeds would go on to win 2-0.

The EFL have released a statement asking for Leeds’ observations on the incident, whilst Bielsa called an emergency press conference this afternoon to discuss matters with the media.

Phil Hay from the Yorkshire Evening Post was present at the press conference, confirming that Bielsa had readied a PowerPoint presentation for the media, as well as calling all his coaching staff to Thorp Arch.

The reason behind the press conference is that Bielsa wants to make the EFL investigation easier, with the 63-year-old also stating to the YEP that he has watched other training sessions throughout the campaign, something he states is not illegal:

“What I've done is not illegal. It's not specified (in the rules) and it's not restrained. We can discuss it, it's not seen as a good thing but it's not a violation of the law. I know that not everything that is legal is right to do."

There had been fears amongst supporters that Bielsa may resign, but at this stage, it doesn’t appear that he will.

The Verdict  

‘Spygate’ has dominated the footballing world for almost a week now and Bielsa has clearly felt the need to openly discuss what has gone on.

The Argentine, as usual, has been very open with what he is telling us, admitting to using these tactics all season.

To add to that, the presence of his coaching staff shows a unity, and whilst Bielsa will take the blame, he and his team appear prepared to stick together through the EFL investigation.

Thoughts? Let us know!