Sporting Directors aren’t usually keen on stepping into the limelight or turning into public figures, but Leeds Sporting Director Victor Orta has long defied that trend.
The Spaniard is known to be Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani’s right-hand man, having been a part of the club’s administration ever since the Italian took over at Elland Road.
As per his job description, the 44-year-old has been responsible for the club’s transfers and managerial hires, while also taking charge of the overall squad building.
While all this is very much in the realm of a typical Sporting Director, Orta differs from the rest by being a rather animated individual.
The man is filled with a genuine passion for Leeds, but sadly, it always runs the risk of boiling over.
An example of this came last season when Orta practically shushed Brentford VIPs and added a bit of spice to the normally serene Director’s box.
More recently, he appeared to mock travelling Leeds fans after hearing chants calling for him to resign amid the club’s dire form.
Orta’s antics have turned him into a divisive figure at the club, and his consistently failing search for a manager to take over at Elland Road hasn’t helped either.
After the dismal reign of Jesse Marsch, a number of fans were already on the fence about the Spaniard.
The opinion worsened following Orta’s failure to appoint a long-term coach, as per reports a quartet of managers including Arne Slot, Carlos Corberan, Marcel Gallardo and Andoni Iraola all passed on the Leeds job.
Sentiment around the Spaniard has degraded to such a degree that fans have begun calling him out for a supposed PR move, despite there being no evidence of that being the case.
It all occurred after Comedian and Leeds supporter Jack Carroll tweeted out a picture alongside Orta, and paired it with it a story that displayed the Spaniard in a positive light.
As per Carroll, Orta sorted out a ticket for him for Leeds’ recent game against Fulham at Craven Cottage, and he did so after a chance meeting at Kings Cross station.
He further went on to state that ‘Victor really loves Leeds as much as you and me!’.
Sadly, fans online were having none of it.
They found the chance meeting to be a little too coincidental and also felt that the gesture itself wasn’t all that generous.
Giving a free ticket to a famous individual is standard practice, had Orta handed one to a random supporter, the opinions would have certainly been different.
Fans felt that the entire story was a bit of PR carried out using an influencer, some even accused Carroll of accepting tickets as a bribe.
Influencing PR nonsense. The man needs sacking.
— Dan (@xxxstarkiller) February 28, 2023
Blink 3 times if he’s holding you hostage
— Adam Webster (@adswebbo) February 28, 2023
He bribes who he wants he bribes who he wants! Victor Orta, he bribes who he wants!!
— Danny⚽️💛🇬🇧🙏🇺🇦 💙⚽️Osborne (@Kingdanny30) February 28, 2023
In exchange for a few good words about him online, he gave you a ticket
— J-TLufc (@TokleyJake13) February 28, 2023
How many free tickets did he give you to say that?
— Tone (@Toneball28) February 28, 2023
To his credit, the Comedian stood his ground and responded to the noise, he praised Orta’s contributions, especially for bringing in Marcelo Bielsa, while also stating that he doesn’t have a ‘short-term memory’.
Based on his actions as Sporting Director, it’s safe to say that Orta does indeed have the club’s best interests at heart.
But if these pictures with Carroll were truly an attempt at a PR spin, it failed to land in the slightest.