Middlesbrough have reported Southampton to the English Football League (EFL) after allegedly catching an analyst spying on a training session ahead of this weekend’s Championship play-off semi-final showdown.
According to the Daily Mail, the incident took place on Thursday morning at Rockliffe Park, just two days before Southampton travel to the Riverside for the first leg.
A man believed to be employed by Saints was spotted concealed in bushes close to Boro’s training base while allegedly recording the session on his mobile phone.
Club staff reportedly approached the individual, who then deleted videos and photographs from his device before refusing to identify himself.
The man left the training ground area and entered the nearby Rockliffe Hall Hotel, which is owned by Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson.
The man changed in a toilet before departing the premises. Publicly accessible online profiles allegedly link the individual involved to Southampton’s backroom staff set-up.
If proven, the incident could constitute a breach of EFL regulations surrounding conduct between clubs.
Regulation 3.4 states that clubs must act towards one another and the League with the utmost good faith.
The controversy has immediately drawn comparisons to the infamous ‘Spygate’ scandal involving Marcelo Bielsa during his time at Leeds United in 2019.
Ahead of a Championship clash with Derby County, a Leeds employee was caught observing Derby’s training sessions, with Bielsa later admitting responsibility for the operation.
Leeds were subsequently fined £200,000 after admitting the breach, while the scandal dominated headlines during the promotion run-in.
This latest episode threatens to add even more tension to an already fiercely anticipated play-off clash, with both Middlesbrough and Southampton battling for a place in the Premier League.
Coventry City and Ipswich Town have already sealed their return to the top-flight next season.
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