The English Football League (EFL) has tightened its regulations and issued further clarity regarding the need for clubs to act in ‘good faith’, the specific rule that Southampton breached after admitting to spying on rivals last season.Southampton were expelled from the Championship play-off final in May after one of the club’s interns was caught spying on Middlesbrough’s training session, the team they beat in the semi-finals, who were then reinstated to play Hull City in the final.They were charged by the EFL for breaching Regulation 3.4, which “requires clubs to act towards each other with the utmost good faith”, and Regulation 127, prohibiting clubs from observing or attempting to observe another side’s training session within 72 hours of a scheduled match between the two teams.Although the main purpose of the EFL amending its wording ahead of the new season, which begins this weekend, is to ensure Regulation 3.4 remains consistent with their updated financial regulations, it will also relate to any side found to be undertaking the same practices Southampton were.“In all matters and transactions relating to the league each club shall behave towards each other club and the league with the utmost good faith (provided always that only the league shall have the right to bring any action whatsoever for any alleged breach of this requirement),” the regulation reads.“Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, clubs shall not manage their affairs or act in a way which is intended to seek to or does take any unfair advantage in relation to the Regulations.”A new section titled “Guidance” has also been added to 3.4, which states: “The duty of utmost good faith in the regulations includes, but is not limited to, the requirement for clubs to disclose in a clear and accessible manner (including requirement not to knowingly omit) all material facts, documents and information which the league will reasonably require to ensure the effective application of the Regulations.”Last season, the EFL’s wording Regulation 3.4 read: “In all matters and transactions relating to the league each club shall behave towards each other club and the league with the utmost good faith. Further, each club shall deliver to the league a copy of the Club Charter signed by the appropriate director for and on behalf of the club. The league shall be entitled to publish the Club Charter.”The independent disciplinary commission’s report in May detailed how the panel heard that Southampton had initially provided “inaccurate information” when first responding to the EFL on May 8, hinting that spying was not part of the club’s culture.They had also claimed no video footage was captured or shared but later accepted “the opposite was the case.”As well as Middlesbrough, Southampton also admitted to spying on Oxford United and Ipswich Town during the 2025-26 campaign.Tonda Eckert, Southampton’s head coach, was charged by the Football Association (FA) with three breaches of Rule E3.1 in July, which centred on bringing the game into disrepute.Even though Eckert was charged by the FA on July 22, Southampton are yet to find out what his punishment will be.Tonda Eckert is awaiting punishment from the FA. (Ed Sykes/Getty Images)At a fans’ forum last week, which was broadcast on BBC Radio Solent, Phil Parsons, the club’s chief executive, intimated they were still in the dark.“Our lawyers will be talking to their lawyers and we will be given a timeline,” Parsons said. “That’s not tomorrow, that’s not next week, as far as we know. We’ll be given a date, and then there’s a follow up period and we will find a result.”Asked if a verdict was more likely to come in September or October as opposed to this month, Parsons added: “We don’t know. It might be a September hearing. I think the FA have listened to Tonda and listened to everybody involved.”In addition to being thrown out of the play-off final by the EFL, Southampton were also docked four points, which will be applied to the upcoming 2026-27 Championship campaign.Southampton beat Colchester United in the first round of the Carabao Cup on Saturday and will play Watford on Sunday in their first league game of the season.