Daniel Farke revealed he was told before his side’s victory over West Ham that if their FA Cup quarter-final went to penalties Leeds would not be allowed to take them in front of their 9,000 fans for safety reasons.
In a bizarre situation ahead of Leeds’ shootout victory, the safety officer signed a document to say that taking penalties in front of the away end would be deemed a safety risk, only for the decision to be changed during the game and the teams toss for ends.
‘You could imagine what I thought about such a situation,’ said Farke.
‘The stand is probably furthest away from the pitch than any other stadium. If a safety officer signed such a document to give more or less advantage to have the penalty shootout in front of their supporters, you can perhaps think about what I think about such a situation.
‘Each club has a different way to deal with such a situation and we have never signed such a document that out of safety reasons at Elland Road.’
West Ham beat Brentford on penalties in the last round in a shootout that took place in front of the 5,000 travelling Bees supporters.
Leeds sources insisted they believed media pressure led to the decision being changed.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted a penalty during the game in front of the Leeds fans and, in the end, their victorious shootout took place at the West Ham end.
Farke’s side will face Chelsea in the semi-final at Wembley, a side who Leeds beat at Elland Road earlier in the season.
‘We’re still not favourites,’ he said. ‘We need an extraordinary day, an outstanding performance and also a bit of luck perhaps. If we have the chance even to go one step further, we are greedy also to grab it with both hands.’