Leeds United players slammed by Piers Morgan as footage at hotel goes viral | OneFootball

Leeds United’s players have been heavily criticised on social media after footage of them ignoring fans at the team hotel went viral.

Piers Morgan is one of thousands of people who have called out the players, calling them “selfish arrogant pr*cks” on Twitter.

The Leeds squad were travelling from the team hotel on Sunday morning ahead of their Premier League clash against Bournemouth.

A small crowd of fans had gathered in the hotel players to see off the players. Some of them had notepads out in the hope of grabbing a quick autograph, while others would have loved a selfie or even a high-five.

However, all the supporters were ignored by the players, who walked straight past towards the hotel exit.

Some of the players had headphones on and stared at their phones as they walked past the fans without even glancing at them.

One boy, dressed in his Leeds kit, even waved to a couple of the players with a smile on his face but was ignored.

Video: Leeds players ignore fans at hotel

It’s hard not to feel sorry for those fans, especially that one young lad.

Mail Sport say they have contacted Leeds United for comment.

The Athletic's Adam Crafton tweeted: "Maybe this happened under previous managers too and just didn’t see it but sadly from outside this seems to encapsulate how Leeds have departed from the leadership of [Marcelo] Bielsa, who seemed to so value players having a full appreciation of the sacrifices of the ordinary supporter."

Needless to say, the damning footage has sparked a huge backlash on Twitter.

Many people - Leeds fans included - have vented their anger.

Why did Leeds players ignore the fans?

The footage appears shows a member of the Leeds staff instructing the players to walk through.

Intentionally or not, he then positioned himself directly in front of the young boy who was waving to the players.

The players may have been instructed to ignore the fans and make their way to the team bus due to time constraints. Leeds were kicking off at 2pm. However, this is unclear as things stand.

To make matters worse, Leeds went on to lose 4-1 to Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.

The travelling supporters made their feelings towards the players clear, chanting “you’re not fit to wear the shirt”.

Leeds currently sit 16th in the Premier League table, just one point outside the relegation zone with four matches remaining.

Leeds' players released a collective statement on Monday afternoon via the club's website.

"As the first team squad at Leeds United, we wanted to reach out to the fan base regarding yesterday’s game and subsequent posts on social media.

"Firstly, the performance was not good enough. There is no other way to look at it and the only way to respond is on the pitch. Leeds fans travel up and down the country in huge numbers and deserve more than this.

"What is just as concerning to us as a group, is the video online of us leaving the hotel. Words can’t express how sorry we are that the youngster in the video wearing the Leeds kit is not shown more love from the squad. On a matchday we do an activation walk, before and after this we stop for photos and autographs to ensure we interact with fans, but also that we are on time when leaving for games. However, there is no excuse for not acknowledging fans and if the parents of the fan wearing the Leeds kit in the video could make themselves known to us, we would be grateful.