Kiko Casilla: Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa defends captaincy decision after racial abuse incident
Casilla skippered Leeds in Liam Cooper’s absence for EFL Cup second round defeat to Hull
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Your support makes all the difference.Marcelo Bielsa has defended his decision to name goalkeeper Kiko Casilla as captain for Leeds United's EFL Cup second round defeat to Hull City.
Casilla served an eight-match ban at the end of last season and was fined £60,000 for racially abusing the then-Charlton Athletic winger Jonathan Leko in September last year.
The former Real Madrid goalkeeper subsequently lost his starting spot under Bielsa, with on-loan deputy Illan Meslier impressing and retaining No 1 status after signing permanently from Lorient.
Casilla made his first appearance of the season at Elland Road on Wednesday night and skippered Leeds in the absence of club captain Liam Cooper.
Bielsa said his decision to make Casilla captain for the evening was based on the opinions of the rest of the Leeds squad.
"I interpreted the feeling of his team-mates," he said. "His team-mates think he deserved to be the captain and we have to listen to those messages."
"The players see in their captain someone they feel can represent them. I respect the opinions of any person. After that opinions can be argued.
"Surely those who judge Kiko ignore a lot of the things his team-mates see in him?"
The decision to make Casilla captain on Wednesday night - and previously, to select him for the first game after winning promotion from the Championship, away to Derby County in July - have proved unpopular with a significant number of Leeds supporters.
But Bielsa said that he could not ignore the opinions of his players.
"You're saying I should have contemplated over whether to pick Kiko as captain, either take the opinion of the fans or the players," he said.
"I cannot deny that the captain not only represents his team-mates, but he also represents the club.
"The opinion of the masses should always be heard. But I don't know if you guys know what percentage of fans it is.
"Of course we also value the conduct of Kiko, which only we can judge because we are part of the group."
Bielsa added: "When you are subject to what other people judge you for, what other people think, it doesn't matter what we think, we have to accept the decision of the authorities.
"If there is a correlation between what the authorities, the fans and his team-mates think, surely the public won't have all the information that his team-mates would have?"
Leko said in May that while he had received support in the aftermath of the incident with Casilla, he had “nothing from the Leeds side" and wanted to "move on".
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