English Football Association consider disqualifying Southampton from the EFL Championship Play-offs final for allegedly spying on Middlesbrough pre-match..

The English Football Association (FA) announced on its official website on Thursday that they have decided to launch an investigation into Southampton for allegedly sending a spy to illegally spy on Middlesbrough's pre-match training and preparation, which constitutes a serious offense, and is considering disqualifying them from the EFL Championship play-off final.

According to the English Football Association's official statement, the Ethics and Disciplinary Committee has received allegations from Middlesbrough and several domestic media outlets that Southampton allegedly sent a hired analyst posing as a journalist to Middlesbrough's training ground to document the team's training, tactics, and preparation.

Due to the seriousness of this violation, the FA has decided to launch an independent investigation and hearing, and will announce the results of the investigation and potential sanctions against Southampton on or before next Tuesday (May 26).

Depending on the outcome of the investigation and the verdict, the EFL Championship play-off final, originally scheduled for 4 pm on May 23, may be postponed.

If the allegations are true, Southampton could face disqualification from the EFL Championship play-off final, a hefty fine, or both.

Shortly after this statement, the English Football League (EFL) also released a statement confirming the allegations.

They said they hoped the investigation and hearing would begin on Friday (May 15th) to allow the league sufficient time to develop a series of emergency contingency plans.

However, this proposal has been rejected by Southampton, who are requesting a 14-day grace period to ensure the impartiality of the investigation and hearing.

Regardless, the EFL has confirmed that, depending on the final outcome, Southampton will face the highest and most severe punishment in EFL Championship history.

Furthermore, several British media outlets widely speculate that if Southampton are definitively disqualified, Middlesbrough may be awarded a place in the final.

Another possibility is that Hull City, having already secured a place in the final, will be directly awarded the promotion playoffs title, but this is unlikely.

Southampton's "spygate" was initially exclusively revealed by The Telegraph.

According to the original report, after receiving a tip from Middlesbrough officials, the newspaper's journalists discovered a suspicious man lurking under a tree near the fence of the club's training ground, Rockliffe Park.

At the time, the man was repeatedly using his mobile phone to take photos and videos of Middlesbrough players' training sessions and pre-match meetings, and even jotting down the team's tactical plans in a notebook.

When the time was right, the journalists confronted the man and discovered that he was William Salt, a data analyst outsourced to Southampton.

Furthermore, he was also a personal aide to Southampton manager Tonda Eckert's team, which immediately made Salt's identity even more suspicious.

Subsequent investigations revealed that Salt had engaged in this "spying" activity multiple times prior to the two teams' match last week, with the total time spent spying exceeding 48 hours, this is a serious violation of the FA rule which prohibit scouts or analysts from observing opponents 72 hours before a match.

Southampton later defeated Southampton 2-1 in extra time in the second leg at St. Mary's Stadium on Wednesday (May 13th) to reach the final.

In the post-match press conference, Middlesbrough manager Kim Helberg called the result "the most unacceptable and heartbreaking" of his managerial career. He also condemned Southampton's actions as utterly shameful.

It's worth mentioning that this is actually only the second time in EFL Championship history that a "spygate" controversy has occurred.

In 2019, Leeds United were also fined £20,000 for using the same methods to spy on every opponent throughout the season.

Even worse, then-manager Marcelo Bielsa brazenly questioned reporters about the inappropriateness of such a "normal" approach.

Image source: Internet / The Telegraph