The Leeds United boss has seen his sportsmanship rewarded by FIFA.
Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has won the FIFA Fair Play Award for 2019.
The Argentine coach instructed his players to let Aston Villa score an uncontested equaliser during a fiery clash at Elland Road back in April.
It came after Leeds midfielder Mateusz Klich opened the scoring while the Villans had a player down injured, sparking a melee between both sets of players.
Bielsa was praised for his sportsmanship and now FIFA have recognised the gesture.
Prior to that, the 64-year-old personally paid a £200,000 fine from the English Football League on behalf of the club after sending a staff member to observe Derby County’s training session on the eve of playing the Rams.
Here’s how Gary Lineker reacted to Bielsa winning tonight’s award.
Spygate saga aside, letting Aston Villa equalise was an extraordinary example of sportsmanship from the veteran coach and although fans of rival clubs – and Lineker – might poke fun at it, it’s richly deserved.
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