Thursday 8 March 2018 19:11, UK
Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani has moved to clarify comments he made in the wake of his side’s 3-0 defeat to Championship high-flyers Wolves.
Almost immediately after his side's loss at Elland Road, Radrizzani suggested on Twitter the Championship was no longer a fair competition due to the close links Wolves' owners, Fosun International, have with super-agent Jorge Mendes.
Mendes represents Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo and a number of the club's players, while Fosun also own shares in Mendes' agency, Gestifute.
The Leeds owner took to social media again on Wednesday, reiterating his desire to see a "level playing field" in the Championship.
"I would like to clarify my tweets from last night regarding Wolverhampton Wanderers," Radrizzani wrote on Twitter.
"Firstly I would like to be clear that I have great respect for Nuno Santo and his team who have performed extremely well throughout the course of this season.
"I used last night's fixture to raise longstanding concerns that I have regarding agencies having direct influence within clubs which I believe could breach EFL rules.
"The aim is to open a transparent debate regarding the rules and motivate the institutions to be vigilant with anything that can spoil the fairness of the competition, which I am encouraged to the EFL taking seriously as per their statement earlier today.
"I believe it is vital for clubs in the Championship to operate on a level playing field."
Earlier on Wednesday, the EFL released a statement indicating they plan to meet the Wolves hierarchy amid concerns raised by clubs regarding the relationship between Fosun and Mendes.
The statement read: "At its meeting today the EFL Board considered at length the matter of the relationship between Wolverhampton Wanderers, majority shareholder of the club, Fosun and Jorge Mendes, in light of the recent concerns raised by a number of clubs.
"It was agreed that the EFL Executive will meet with the management of the club to reiterate the requirements of our regulations and those of the FA and will report back to the Board in due course.
"It should be noted that the club was explicitly informed in July 2016 of all the requirements it was expected to meet as part of the change of control, and appropriate arrangements were put in place to ensure compliance.
"The club has confirmed that the undertakings given at the time remain in place and are being complied with."
