William Salt (center, back) was also part of the photo celebrating Tonda Eckert winning February’s Director of the Month award. (Image: Southampton FC)
Southampton’s ‘Spygate’ saga has taken a new twist as it emerged that a suspected spy may have left a vital clue. Southampton defeated Middlesbrough on Tuesday night to seal their place in the Championship play-off final, but their place at Wembley is in grave doubt. The Saints won 2-1 against St. Mary’s on Shay Charles’ late overtime goal. They qualified for the play-off final against Hull City on 23 May.
However, Southampton still face the possibility of expulsion from the EFL, with an independent disciplinary committee poised to rule on the alleged breach of rules. Boro claimed Saints staff were caught in the act of filming a Saints training session on their mobile phones two days before the first leg, which ended 0-0. The South Coast club said it would fully co-operate with the investigation, which is moving quickly to ensure a conclusion is reached well before the play-off final.
Middlesbrough are pushing for sporting sanctions and will continue training in the hope that if Saints are found guilty, the EFL will exclude them from the play-offs as punishment. Evidence continues to be collected in Middlesbrough and the strength of their case became much clearer on Wednesday afternoon.
The Daily Mail published a photo of the alleged perpetrator, William Salt, an intern on Tonda Eckert’s staff. In the image, Salt can be seen holding up his cell phone as he stands next to a tree on the sidewalk at the edge of Boro’s practice field.
The report further states that Salt used his personal bank card to purchase coffee at Rockliffe Hall Golf Club, which is adjacent to the driving range and is owned by club president Steve Gibson.
This leaves Middlesbrough with suspicions that Southampton may have spied on other clubs throughout the season, raising the possibility of a national paper trail investigation.
The ending of the story has not yet been decided. Boro are seeking an expulsion from the play-offs and are reportedly in possession of evidence that this is not an isolated incident, but there is no precedent as serious as this. Back in 2024, Canada’s women’s Olympic team received a six-point deduction for deploying a drone to spy on New Zealand’s practice sessions.
Shea Charles scores the winning goal in the second leg between Southampton and Middlesbrough (Image: Getty Images)
The Saints are suspected of violating Rule 127, which makes it illegal to observe another club’s training within 72 hours of a match. The regulations were introduced after Leeds United spied on Derby County in 2019.
Ahead of Tuesday’s second leg, Southampton chief executive Phil Parsons said in a statement: “The club is cooperating fully with the EFL and the disciplinary committee, while also conducting an internal review to ensure all facts and context are properly understood.”
“Given the tense fixture schedule and short turnaround between games, we have requested time to complete that process thoroughly and responsibly. While we understand the discussion and speculation that has ensued in recent days, we also believe it is important to establish the full situation before any conclusions are reached.”
“I’ve spent quite a bit of time around this football club so I know the character of the people there.”
Boro manager Kim Helberg, visibly emotional after Boro’s defeat, revealed the countless hours he had spent preparing for matches throughout the season, adding: “When that time is taken away, that’s when someone decides, ‘No, I’m not going to watch every game. Instead, I’m going to send someone in to film the sessions and watch everything and hope I don’t get caught.’ I think that’s why they changed their clothes.
“It breaks my heart for everything I believe in. That’s the problem. I don’t care if different countries have other rules. This is England, where football is the biggest thing. That’s how I feel about football. I think it’s a disgrace. It makes me very sad.”
