Frank Lampard could 'receive an EFL letter' for Leeds United reaction after Premier League statement
The Coventry City boss was subject to away-end chants once Leeds United’s 2-0 win was sewn up.
Frank Lampard could be in receipt of a letter from the EFL following his interaction with Leeds United fans following Coventry City’s 2-0 defeat on Wednesday, according to former Premier League referee Keith Hackett.
Lampard was the subject of chants coming from the away end once Leeds’ midweek victory at the CBS Arena was secured. The Coventry boss appeared to cup his ears before a gesture seemingly referenced his 4-2 play-off semi-final victory at Elland Road with Derby County almost six years ago.
When quizzed on the reaction in his post-match press conference, Lampard insisted he ‘didn’t want to talk about it’ but Hackett believes the gesture could come back to bite him. Recent reports claim the Premier League is weighing up whether to punish players for mocking opponents when celebrating and if the EFL have similar ideas, they could be in contact with the former Derby boss.
“The statement that was issued on the actions of players over celebrating was made by the Premier League spokesperson, not a member of the EFL,” Hackett told MOT Leeds News. “The EFL may have a different approach.
“However, the actions by Frank Lampard are not advisable and he may well receive a letter from the authorities giving him some operational advice. The police and clubs work hard behind the scenes to control and manage spectators. It’s so important for crowd safety.”
The debate over potentially inflammatory celebrations arose following Arsenal’s 5-1 weekend win over Manchester City, a game in which 18-year-old Myles-Lewis Skelly followed up his first ever Gunners goal with an imitation of Erling Haaland’s signature move. Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye was also under the microscope recently after getting booked for waving his arms like a Seagull following a goal against Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Premier League's chief football officer, Tony Scholes, said of possible sanctions: “There's a balance. I think we all like to see celebrations. Some of the celebrations have been very funny, entertaining, but there's a line. Once it crosses over into mockery or criticism then we would need to deal with it.”
Leeds fans will no doubt have taken little offence to the gesture, considering it was five-and-a-half years ago and their club have since been promoted to the Premier League as champions. Wednesday’s 2-0 win further cemented their chances of doing so again, with a five-point gap on Sheffield United and Burnley reopened.
First-half goals from Joel Piroe and Jayden Bogle effectively put the game to bed before half an hour was up, with Leeds missing a hatful of chances to extend their lead further. Daniel Farke’s side were rarely tested by an in-form Coventry all evening, with Lampard going on to admit his side were well beaten by one of the Championship’s top outfits.
"Possibly, they're a fantastic team," he said when asked if his side had just faced the future champions. "Lots of talent, lots of speed, well coached, good team, Premier League experience and I'm really impressed with them. Sometimes you have to praise a team that comes here and does well. There's other teams up there but they're in with a great chance."