Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard defended his hefty fine system that was revealed during the international break and included an eye-watering £20,000 charge for being missing the start of training.
The leaked fines list also revealed a variety of punishments including paying £500 for every minute someone is late to a team meeting.
Lampard says he first consulted his players about the fine structure.
‘I can understand it might sound harsh. It’s not harsh if you’re not late. It’s nothing. That’s one thing. I think we put in the discipline for one reason.
‘My only concern when that came out was it makes me look like trying to be Mr. Tough Guy. I’m not.
‘We spoke with the players and I gave the list to Cesar Azpilicueta when we set out the fines.
‘In fact, I was asking him if there were any areas you see because I wanted to know what happened last year, whether the players were happy, were they not. That came into the picture as well so it’s certainly a bit of a joint effort.
‘Maybe the numbers were chosen by myself to a degree. I do think discipline is an important thing and I’m very happy to work with the players. I want to be successful. I expect them to look after each other on the pitch and when they train, so I expect them to respect each other in terms of turning up.
Other rules no eating within an hour of training — and no agents to visit training sessions unless they do so in an official capacity.
As for family/guests at training, only with permission from the manager 24 hours beforehand.
Lampard’s fine list has divided opinion with some fans and pundits labeling it too harsh while some have defended the list saying it establishes order at Stamford Bridge.
