Credit: Imago

Declan Carr

Mon 27 April 2026 9:10, UK

Chelsea defeated Leeds United 1-0 in their FA Cup semi-final showdown on Sunday, but it was not without controversy.

The Londoners wasted time throughout the second half of the Wembley showcase, securing their spot in the final against Manchester City.

One particular incident was when Robert Sanchez went down with an apparent injury and the Blues’ interim boss Calum McFarlane used it to spread instructions to his players.

Whites star Ethan Ampadu reacted furiously to the delay and attempted to join their huddle, being pushed away by Romeo Lavia.

Leeds could not take the clash beyond 90 minutes, and were knocked out of the competition.

What did McCoist say about Chelsea vs Leeds controversy?

Leeds were livid with the clearly planned break in play from the Stamford Bridge side, and they weren’t alone in that.

Ally McCoist revealed that he is not a fan of teams purposely stopping the game to waste time and adjust tactically.

Speaking on talkSPORT (6:28am), he said: “I wouldn’t use the word clever, but it is certainly not cheating either.

“It’s somewhere in the middle, I don’t like it.”

What can be done about it?

Football needs to combat this, it is not the game that we know and love, and it takes the excitement away, when it is trying to attract more casual viewers.

As McCoist says, it is not strictly cheating, but it is against the spirit of the game, and the lawmakers need to clamp down on it.

If nothing is done about it, teams will continue to do it, and gain an unfair advantage by bending the rules and using unsporting tactics.

Former Leeds goalkeeper Rob Green agreed with McCoist’s stance on the matter, when speaking live on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Speaking on that platform, he said: “As a former keeper having played for Leeds, it was a former plan as a keeper to go down. But it needs to be stopped.”

It needs to be phased out of the game, it is not appealing, and more importantly, it is essentially legalised cheating at the minute, with no rules against it.

Solutions could include a booking for the manager, fines for the club or a booking for the player involved, but it is a difficult issue for FIFA and IFAB to sort out without provoking anger.

However, it has to dealt with, ideally, sooner rather than later, so it does not continue to happen, especially in the biggest matches, with the most eyes on them.