It is not without reason that the promotion final to the Premier League is called the billionth game because there is a huge difference between playing in the Premier League and in the Championship.
I think Southampton in the future will not spy on their opponents, because it will be a very expensive one.
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Southampton have been kicked out of the promotion play-offs after the club admitted to spying on three clubs in the Championship this season. Middlesbrough, who lost to Southampton in the semi-finals, will now be relegated and will play Hull City for a place in the Premier League.
Spygate is said to have happened two days before the semi-final
The independent disciplinary commission states that Southampton filmed the training sessions of Oxford United and Ipswich Town. In addition, they also filmed Middlesbrough as they prepared for the first leg of the play-off semi-final on May 7.
Southampton have also been given a four-point deduction in the Championship for next season.
Missing out on gigantic revenues
Now Southampton will miss out on what is often referred to as the world’s richest football match. The winner of the play-off final is guaranteed at least £110 million in TV revenue from the Premier League. The final will still be played on Saturday at Wembley, but the kick-off time has not been confirmed.
The EFL states that Southampton admitted to “several violations of the EFL’s regulations related to unauthorized filming of other clubs’ training sessions”. The club has also received a reprimand for all the circumstances.
Appeals the sentence – believes it is too harsh
Sources have confirmed to BBC Sport that Southampton will appeal the decision on Wednesday. The club will argue that the punishment is disproportionately severe. The EFL says it will “work to try to resolve a possible appeal on Wednesday 20 May”. The league adds that “depending on the outcome, it could lead to a further change to Saturday’s game.”
The appeal will be heard by an independent league arbitrage panel with three new members.
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This is how the EFL explains the case
The EFL writes in a statement: “Southampton were first charged on Friday 8 May, with further charges issued on Sunday 17 May relating to further breaches during the 2025/26 season. These additional charges arose from circumstances uncovered after the first proceedings against Middlesbrough were initiated. Southampton admitted to breaching regulations that require clubs to act with the utmost credibility and prohibit observing another club’s training within 72 hours before a scheduled match. The admitted breaches relate to games against Oxford United in December 2025, Ipswich Town in April 2026 and Middlesbrough in May 2026.”
Southampton did not win any of the three games. They lost 2-1 away to Oxford, drew 2-2 at home to Ipswich and drew 0-0 away to Middlesbrough.
Middlesbrough: “A clear signal”
Middlesbrough have stated that they “welcome the outcome”. The club writes: “We believe this sends a clear signal for the future of our sport in terms of sporting integrity and conduct. As a club, we are now focused on the game against Hull City at Wembley on Saturday. Ticket information for our supporters will be made public soon.”
Southampton had already sold tickets for Saturday’s game. Their supporters will receive a full refund.
The future for those involved is uncertain
Now Southampton will have to wait for the English Football Association (FA) to issue charges against individuals involved in the espionage. The EFL can only sanction its member clubs. The case is reminiscent of an espionage case during the 2024 Olympics, when three members of Canada’s support staff, including the head coach, were banned from all football for one year by FIFA.
This is what the spy did – this is how he was exposed
It was the morning of Thursday 7 May. Middlesbrough were at their training ground at Rockliffe Park preparing for the game against Southampton 48 hours later. The spy turned out to be Southampton analyst and intern William Salt.
According to sources, he parked at the golf club, then walked a couple of hundred meters down a road that leads to an elevated area. There he is said to have stood and pointed his mobile phone at the training, with earphones in his ears. Middlesbrough’s staff believe he may have streamed the training live via a video call.
A member of Middlesbrough’s staff reportedly confronted him, but the person would not identify himself. He quickly deleted some content from his phone before running into the golf club. There he jogged into the toilet, changed clothes and left the place in a hurry.
Middlesbrough’s photographer took pictures and linked him to an image on Southampton’s website. One of these photos was later made public last week. Middlesbrough were furious and reported the matter to the EFL immediately.
The EFL charged Southampton with breaching two regulations: Rule 3.4, which requires clubs to act towards each other with the greatest possible credibility, and Rule 127, which prohibits clubs from observing or attempting to observe another club’s training within 72 hours before a scheduled match between the two clubs.
