The chants from Middlesbrough fans about Southampton’s spying are likely to linger in the memory far longer than a playoff semi-final that promised far more than it delivered. While Southampton will start Tuesday’s second leg as favourites, Boro cannot be discounted after dominating large tracts of a tie thoroughly overshadowed by a spying scandal.
Slate grey rain clouds shrouded the Cleveland Hills and it seemed emblematic of the chill gloom enveloping the visitors after Middlesbrough accused one of Southampton’s analysts of spying on a training session and resulted in a misconduct charge from the Football League.
Southampton will face an independent disciplinary commission chaired by a barrister. If the charge is proven potential punishments include fines, points deduction and expulsion from the playoffs.
As anyone who has crossed Boro’s outraged owner, Steve Gibson, will testify this all seems unlikely to be brushed under the carpet. Suggestions that Southampton could be reprieved after laying the blame on a “lone wolf analyst” appear extremely unlikely to wash.
Moreover, Fifa banned the former Canada women’s head coach Bev Priestman and two of her staff for 12 months after a charge that Canada had spied on opponents at the 2024 Paris Olympics was upheld. In 2019 Marcelo Bielsa got away with a reprimand and a £200,000 fine the Leeds manager paid out of his own pocket after one of his staff was caught spying on Derby, but a new, tougher, EFL rule has been introduced since then.
