LONDON (AP) — The English Second Division Championship is hit by another spying controversy.
Southampton were contacted by the English Football League following a complaint “regarding suspected unauthorized filming” ahead of a team meeting from Middlesbrough. championship playoffsthe EFL said in a statement sent to The Associated Press.
“The alleged incident is said to have taken place on private property in Middlesbrough by an individual identified as having links to Southampton,” the statement continued.
The EFL said it was treating the matter as a “possible case of misconduct” and asked Southampton to observe.
The first leg of the play-off semi-final will be played at Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium on Saturday. The second leg will be played in Southampton on Tuesday.
In 2019, EFL fines Leeds £200,000 ($259,000) to spy on one of Derby’s training sessions ahead of a match between the teams.
Marcelo Bielsa, Leeds’ manager at the time, accepted responsibility for having club officials spy on Derby training. During a detailed hour-long press conference, Bielsa later admitted he had watched at least one of his opponents’ training sessions.
In issuing the fine, the EFL said Leeds’ conduct fell “well below the standards expected by the EFL and must never be repeated”.
___
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
