FPL Leaks: Are Clubs Losing the Battle Against Insider Info?

Joao Pedro was spotted in training just days before he was unexpectedly left out of Chelsea’s lineup against Tottenham last weekend. Head coach Xabi Alonso was blindsided by questions about the leak regarding Pedro’s injury that made its way into the Fantasy Premier League community. When asked about it, Alonso candidly admitted, "I am not into the fantasy team thing, so I didn't know that." It appears that accounts believed to belong to Chelsea personnel, including a player and a family member, made moves to transfer or bench Pedro right before the FPL deadline. One keen FPL manager, known as FPL Karim, claimed he had pieced together clues from the online behavior of Morgan Rogers' relatives. "There were rumors about a player missing from Chelsea’s attack, so I checked Rogers’ team. He had sold Joao Pedro weeks earlier when he was injured and never bought him back. Then I looked at his brother’s FPL team and saw he had sold Pedro that same week to bring in Nicolas Jackson. That raised my suspicions. Why sell a popular forward like Pedro? I posted my findings, and it took off from there." Confirmation of Pedro’s injury arrived after the FPL deadline, leaving 1.7 million managers who had captained him in a tight spot. This incident also caught many off guard, especially since Pedro had trained ahead of the match. Alonso later clarified that the striker was sidelined due to "fluid on his knee." This revelation is just the latest in a trend where managers are becoming increasingly cautious about sharing team news. Last month, Alonso remarked, "I prefer not to give more information than needed," particularly after a loss where injuries, including Pedro’s, were kept under wraps. With over 11 million players in Fantasy Premier League, it’s no wonder that insider information is making waves. By tracking team selections linked to players or their family members, fans can sometimes deduce what’s happening behind the scenes at training grounds. This has previously led to significant leaks, including the high-profile case of Jack Grealish missing a match in February 2021, which prompted Aston Villa to restrict FPL participation among staff after a defeat. Brendan Rodgers, then Leicester’s manager, admitted he had heard about Grealish's absence before the match, while Pep Guardiola later condemned such leaks as "unethical and unprofessional." There have been various instances where players from clubs like Arsenal and Liverpool were implicated in revealing changes to their FPL teams. Some top players even keep their insider knowledge to themselves to gain an edge, making the game even more competitive. Experts like FPL Focal have uncovered accounts linked to club insiders, noting, "Many more accounts probably exist that we haven't identified. Some players are starting to use aliases, and I’ve even received requests to remove certain accounts." Chelsea faced multiple leaks during Liam Rosenior's brief time as manager, with details about injuries emerging from unexpected sources, including a former player’s barber. Since then, the club has taken steps to tighten information security, advising players to be discreet and bolstering fencing around training facilities. Despite earlier successes in curbing leaks, the Joao Pedro situation underscores the ongoing challenges clubs face in maintaining confidentiality. While clubs can encourage staff to be cautious, monitoring players' families is a different ball game entirely. Though there’s no league-wide ban on those involved in football playing FPL, some clubs may consider restricting participation. Ultimately, preventing leaks may require a multifaceted approach, and the battle between clubs and information leaks is far from over.