Southampton are being investigated for allegedly spying on Middlesbrough ahead of the play-off semi-final between the two teams. The English Football League has received a complaint from Boro over allegations of unauthorized filming during training sessions by Southampton officials.
The EFL said it considers the incident to be “possibly illegal” under its rules. An EFL spokesperson said: “The EFL has written to Southampton seeking their views following a complaint from Middlesbrough regarding allegations of unauthorized filming before the two clubs met in Saturday’s Championship play-off semi-final first leg.”
“The alleged incident is said to have taken place on private property in Middlesbrough by an individual identified as having links to Southampton.
“The league is treating this matter as a possible case of misconduct under EFL regulations and will not be making any further comment at this time.”
The teams will meet at Riverside Stadium on Saturday, with the second leg at St Mary’s on Tuesday. Southampton secured a place in the play-offs by finishing fourth in the Championship, but Boro finished one place below them on goal difference, with both clubs accumulating 80 points.
The alleged incident has been compared to the ‘Spygate’ scandal involving Leeds, with then-manager Marcelo Bielsa admitting to sending spies to Derby’s training ground before their 2-0 win over Rams in January 2019.
The Argentine faced heavy criticism and responded by holding a lengthy press conference detailing his coaching methods. The EFL handed down a £200,000 fine for breaching its ‘good faith’ rule and introduced new rules banning clubs from observing each other’s training within 72 hours of a match. Bielsa paid the fine out of his own pocket.
Middlesbrough declined to comment. Southampton have also been contacted by the Press Association for comment.
