Following the unmasking of Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa as a spy master, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has dismissed espionage as a standard practice in the football industry.
Derby County, managed by former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard, openly complained to the authorities after a member of the Leeds coaching staff was spotted on their premises filming a training session.
But Guardiola recounted similar experiences at Bayern Munich, where his team were openly spied on by their opponents, and insists that this practice is not a regional issue, but something pervasive in the sport.
Guardiola said: “It’s cultural for the clubs, not just for the previous one I was at. Now, in the future, it was a part of the club, not because I say ‘you have to do that, you have to go to do that’. So it’s part of the culture of the leagues when we were there.”
Manchester City are set to clash with Huddersfield on Sunday at 17:30 GST. Watch the full video from Guardiola above.
