Leeds chief executive Shaun Harvey has hinted the player responsible for
leaking team news to Crystal Palace ahead of last week's Championship
clash may not be sacked after all.
United manager Dennis Wise vowed in a furious post-match outburst following
Leeds' 2-1 win that the player would never play for the club again.
But Harvey has since revealed the club do not know who the player is and while
Wise has appealed again for the culprit to step forward there appears to be a
softening in the struggling club's stance.
'Our manager spoke to the players on their return to training on Monday and
reiterated what is expected of them,' Harvey said in a club statement.
'He gave everyone the opportunity to come forward and if anyone does the club
will take the appropriate action and take into account whether the passing on of
the information was malicious or naove, direct or indirect.'
Harvey confirmed it was Palace manager Peter Taylor who had informed Wise that
Leeds team news had been passed onto him at lunchtime on Saturday.
Taylor has since accused Wise of 'badly over-reacting', while Crystal Palace
chairman Simon Jordan claimed the whole episode illustrated that the former
Wimbledon and Chelsea midfielder had no control over the Elland Road dressing
room.
Harvey continued: '(The leaking of information) was confirmed, to his credit,
by Palace manager Peter Taylor at the time, and before their arrival at Elland
Road.
'Our manager Dennis Wise was understandably upset at this revelation and
chose to inform the players before the game to act as motivation and to prove
that despite the leak they were still good enough to go out and win.
'As the history books now show we won the crucial fixture 2-1.'
Harvey admitted at a Leeds fans' forum on Tuesday night that nobody knew who
the player was, leaving supporters to conclude - contrary to Wise's post-match
assertions - that he is likely to play for the club again.
'We do not know which Leeds United player it is,' he told BBC Radio Leeds.
Harvey added: 'If you betray trade secrets in any form of industry to give
any of your competition an upper hand you would expect severe punishment to be
taken.
'In the cold light of day we have to take into account a number of things.
Was the leak of the team malicious or naive, was the information given to
Crystal Palace directly or indirectly?
'That's the information we have to confirm and once we know the full
ramifications of who, how and why the appropriate decisions will be made.
'There are certain people who know the answers, but they haven't come forward
and told us as yet.'
Following this latest statement Leeds are now hoping to put the incident
behind them, allowing both players, management and fans to focus on their
relegation battle.
'The club will deal with the matter internally from here and no further
comments will be made,' Harvey added.
