'Cause for concern': Man Utd's dressing room is bugged at Aston Villa - and other tales of football subterfuge

The game with Aston Villa ended 0-0 - a result which was widely seen as meaning under-fire United manager Erik ten Hag clinging on to his job, despite the Reds having only won once in five games.

But unbeknownst to the United camp at the time, their dressing room had been infiltrated in previous days by someone who left a hidden device - believed to be a mobile phone which can be activated remotely - which was triggered when the listener knew the manager would be speaking.

The Sun, which reported the story this morning, has heard the recording and has said that ten Hag’s instructions are clearly audible. But it has chosen not to report what was actually said.

The newspaper reported a source who said that the person responsible had no ill intent and is actually a United fan. The source said: “This is a shocking breach of security and some serious questions will be asked as to how this was allowed to happen. Fortunately, there was nothing sinister to this incident.

“It was just a prankster, who’s actually a United fan, being silly and wanting to hear what was said inside those four walls. But it will definitely be a cause for concern about how they managed to get inside a changing room at one of the Premier League’s biggest clubs just days before a match.”

It’s been reported that the person behind the episode collected the phone on Monday.

Other footballing subterfuge

It’s not the first time that football clubs have been eavesdropped on - or seen controversy over sneaked into dressing rooms.

In 2019 then Leeds coach Marcelo Bielsa personally paid a £200,000 fine dished out to the club for spying on Championship rivals Derby, after an member of staff was seen outside the Rams’ training ground.

Bielsa took on the punishment himself because he later admitted that he had sent someone to spy on training for every opponent they faced.

He said: "The sanction [the EFL] gave us of £200,000 - it is a financial sanction against the club, not against me, but I am responsible for it. That is why I paid it from my pocket."

And then Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was once smuggled into his own dressing room while serving a two-match touchline ban in the Champions League to give the pre-match team talk - by getting the kitman to carry him in and out inside a laundry basket.

It was when Chelsea were playing Bayern Munich in the 2005 quarter-final - a tie they would go on to win. Mourinho was supposed to be watching the game from a nearby leisure centre but sneaked into the stadium early, and then was smuggled out so he would be back at the leisure centre.

Several years later he said: “"I went there and nobody saw me. The problem was to leave after. And Stewart Bannister the kit man put me in the basket. It was a little bit open so I could breathe. But when he is taking it outside the dressing room, the UEFA guys were following and desperate to find me so he closed the box and I couldn't breathe! When he opened the box I was dying! I am serious! I was claustrophobic, I promise! It's true!"