The English Football League (EFL) has charged Southampton after Middlesbrough formally complained about what they claim was “unauthorised filming” at their training ground on Thursday.
Middlesbrough are set to host Southampton at the Riverside Stadium in the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final on Saturday, with the return leg scheduled for Tuesday.
The complaint stems from Middlesbrough’s allegation that a Southampton official was caught secretly filming their training session at Rockliffe Park ahead of the weekend encounter.
In a statement on Friday, the EFL confirmed the matter would be referred to an Independent Disciplinary Commission after the south-coast club was charged with allegedly breaching two league regulations. The charges relate to the requirement for clubs to act toward each other with “the utmost good faith,” and a regulation that forbids any club from observing, or attempting to observe, another team’s training session within 72 hours of a scheduled match.
The EFL added: “Southampton would ordinarily have 14 days to respond to the charges. However, given the nature of the matter, the EFL will ask the Independent Disciplinary Commission to shorten the response period and to list a hearing at the earliest opportunity.”
Southampton acknowledged the charges, stating: “We can confirm that we will be fully cooperating with the league throughout this process. Given the ongoing nature of the matter, the club is unable to comment any further at this time.”
The two clubs will contest a two-legged play-off semi-final, with the winners facing either Hull City or Millwall at Wembley Stadium on May 23 for a place in next season’s Premier League and an estimated financial windfall of around £200 million ($271 million).
Middlesbrough claim that on Thursday morning, a man believed to be a member of Southampton’s backroom staff was discovered at their training ground. The individual was confronted by a Middlesbrough employee and reportedly ran off. Sources familiar with the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity, suggest Middlesbrough have CCTV footage of the incident. The person was allegedly filming using a phone with earphones connected. After being confronted, they gave a brief reply before quickly moving toward a nearby hotel, then returning to a golf course clubhouse to change clothes before heading to the car park and driving away.
These allegations echo a similar incident involving Leeds United in 2019. At that time, the Championship side was fined £200,000 by the EFL for watching opponents train before matches. The case arose after a Leeds staff member was found acting suspiciously outside Derby County’s training ground before a fixture. Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa later admitted to ordering the spying on Derby’s training session. Derby went on to beat Leeds over two legs in the play-offs that season.
