Leeds squad slammed after footage emerges of them 'ignoring' fans as they left hotel

A number of Leeds United players have been criticised on social media after footage emerged of the squad 'ignoring' fans as they left their team hotel.

The clip, posted by a Twitter user ahead of Sunday afternoon's 2pm kick-off between Bournemouth and Leeds, shows a number of supporters waiting patiently to greet first-team players as they walked out of the hotel entrance.

In fact, one young fan can be seen waving at numerous members of the squad in a bid to get their attention, but nobody interacted or even looked in his general direction.

Many have slated the squad for their lack of communication, including Piers Morgan, who commented on the video that has since picked up 3.7 million views, saying: "Selfish arrogant pr*cks."

Here's how some other fans on social media reacted to the scenes.

One said: "That young child just wanted to wave to his heroes. He doesn’t care about Histon in the cup or -15 in league one. He’s just waving at his heroes. What a shambles we have become. Give the little man a high five or something."

A second wrote: "Really doesn’t take much to acknowledge people who look up to you. Footballers these days man smh," while another commented: "That young lad bless him. Horrendous day for the club."

A fourth added: "When I used to steward at the Hotel in Leeds. The great Marcelo always had pens, key rings, photos etc for the kids. How things have changed eh!! Very sad state of affairs."

As mentioned by the fan above, former Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa would often go above and beyond for fans.

Bielsa, who is renowned for his attention to detail, attended almost every under-23 game during the 2018/19 season, studying the club's youth products intensively.

And on one occasion, when Leeds came up against Bolton Wanderers when it was half-term week, a huge queue formed to take a picture with the Argentine.

Bielsa, of course, took the time to take a selfie with those who wanted one. In fact, his response to the situation is something to admire.

"I do it because in football the most important element are the people who love the shirt, the club," he said. "They're not asking for an autograph or photo of me. They're asking for a picture with the head coach of Leeds."

Bielsa at the Under 23’s tonight. This sums him up perfectly. Doesn’t know when to stop. Complete dedication to know every aspect of the club completely. 😍 #lufc #leedsunited pic.twitter.com/2RvIg8Vg2S

— Tim H 💙🤍💛 (@TimHoolahan) August 13, 2018

Bielsa on being swamped for photographs at the U23s game on Monday: "I do it because in football the most important element are the people who love the shirt, the club. They're not asking for an autograph or photo of me. They're asking for a picture with the head coach of Leeds."

— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) February 21, 2019

Leeds would fall to a 4-1 defeat in their Premier League clash against Bournemouth, as goals from Jefferson Lerma [2], Dominic Solanke and Antoine Semenyo sealed a deserved victory for Gary O'Neil's side.

The Whites, meanwhile, sit just one point above the relegation zone.

Thoughts on what happened in the hotel lobby on Sunday? Let us know in the comments.

SPORTbible has contacted Leeds United for comment on the incident.