Marcelo Bielsa has revealed that he paid Leeds United's £200,000 fine for the 'Spygate' saga out of his own pocket - and that he will pay for any fine the club receive following two incidents against Aston Villa last weekend.
Leeds were hit with a huge fine in February after Bielsa admitted to sending spies to watch his side's opponents before matches.
The practice was rumbled when Derby County discovered a member of Leeds' staff outside their training ground in January. That led to calls for the Championship promotion hopefuls to be deducted points for what was a breach of English Football League rules, which demand opposing teams are treated with 'good faith'.
But Bielsa, whose side are set to receive another fine after being charged with failing to control their players during a heated clash with Villa on Sunday, revealed that he paid the hefty fine for 'spygate' himself - and that he would pay any fine Leeds receive for their conduct at Elland Road at the weekend.
'As we are clarifying things I think it's important to add two things not linked to this subject,' said Bielsa on Friday.
'The sanction I received that the federation (the FA) gave us - £200,000 - it's a financial sanction the club received not against me, but I am responsible for it and that's why I paid from my pocket the sanction.'
The Argentine boss has previous when it comes to spending money on his employers.
He donated $2.5million (£1.9m) to his former club Newell's Old Boys last year to help them construct their latest training facility, because he felt the club had the biggest impact on his career and that he owed them a debt.
Leeds were charged after Sunday's 1-1 draw with Villa following a bizarre passage of play that saw a goal conceded on purpose, a red card and two brawls.
The incident started when Mateusz Klich gave Leeds the lead at a time when Villa had a player down injured and believed Bielsa’s side were about to put the ball out of play.
Furious Villa players confronted Klich while assistant manager John Terry remonstrated with Bielsa on the touchline. Anwar El-Ghazi was sent off incorrectly during the melee, and Patrick Bamford was subsequently charged with deceiving a match official.
Bielsa then commendably instructed his players to allow Villa to equalise from the restart through Albert Adomah, which didn't pass without incident either after defender Pontus Jansson attempted to stop him - to the fury of the Villa players.
Things eventually calmed down but both clubs are likely to be fined after being charged by the FA, although Bielsa intimated that he will take the financial hit on behalf of the club.
The draw ultimately proved costly for Leeds as it ended any residual hopes of automatic promotion this season.
Speculation has been rife about the future of the former Lille and Marseille coach, but he also went out of his way to clarify his position at the club.
'I have never said that if we don't get promoted that I won't carry on my work here,' added Bielsa.
'I haven't said I was going to leave and I haven't said I was going to stay, I just said it wasn't the moment to talk about the subject and I just said it's about receiving the proposal.
'I would never say that if we stay in the Championship I won't stay here because otherwise you would say the importance of the team and the club is linked to the division in which it plays.'