Boro Calls For Southampton Expulsion From Play-Offs Over Spygate

Middlesbrough have called for Southampton to be expelled from the Championship play-off final over the Spygate saga that has dominated the English Football League’s (EFL) end-of season showpiece.

Southampton beat Boro in extra time in the second leg to reach the Wembley final on Saturday, 23 May against Hull City – but that may have to be rescheduled depending on the outcome of an independent panel’s hearing.

Boro will not be permitted to take part in the hearing, brought by the EFL over Saints’ alleged spying at their Rockliffe Park training ground last Thursday – before the first leg of the play-off semi-final.

In a statement, Boro described the conduct as going against “sporting integrity and fair competition”, external and believe that a sporting sanction is the only fair outcome.

The hearing, conducted by an independent disciplinary committee, will take place on or before Tuesday, 19 May.

But with Middlesbrough not allowed to be present, they are calling on the EFL to expel Southampton from the play-offs in the interests of fairness and to deter clubs from spying in future.

“The conduct at issue, namely the observation and recording of our training session ahead of a fixture of such significance, goes to the heart of sporting integrity and fair competition,” Middlesbrough’s statement said.

“In these circumstances, the only appropriate response is a sporting sanction which would prevent Southampton FC from participating in the EFL Championship play-off final.

“We remain hopeful that the EFL, as regulator, will pursue such a sanction to protect the integrity of the game, safeguard all member clubs, and deter any attempt in the future to obtain an unfair and unlawful advantage in pursuit of promotion to the Premier League.”

It is alleged that on Thursday morning, before Saturday’s semi-final first leg, a member of Southampton staff – who has since been named as analyst intern William Salt – parked at the golf club and walked a couple of hundred yards down a road which leads to the top of a small hill with a view overlooking the pitches.

He is then alleged to have been pointing his mobile phone at the training session while wearing in-ear headphones.

It is believed he may have been live-streaming the session via a video call.

After being approached by a member of Middlesbrough’s staff, he is said to have refused to identify himself and deleted some content off his phone before running into the golf club toilets, where he changed his clothes and left the site.