https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cwy2pnpqjl7o?app-referrer=push-notification

Southampton have been thrown out of the Championship play-offs for spying on Middlesbrough ahead of the first leg of their semi-final tie.

The club have also received a four-point deduction in the Championship in 2026-27 season.

Middlesbrough, beaten by Southampton in the semi-final, have been reinstated and will now play Hull City for a play in the Premier League.

The final will remain on Saturday at Wembley with the kick-off time to be confirmed.

Southampton had admitted to "multiple breaches of EFL regulations related to the unauthorised filming of other clubs' training", the EFL said.

The club have also received a reprimand in respect of all the charges.

I'd say brilliant decision by the EFL.

They broke the rules and who knows what edge they got on the pitch from their spying.

But to appeal? Not taking ownership and prevent the victims and their fans from being able to really plan for the final for another 24 hours? I hope the result of the appeal is a doubling of their points deduction.

I personally think certain decisins should be without appeal, because it's ultimately down to the FA to do their homework and if they feel able to legally place charges than I think the decision should be respected. The appeal should come with a further point reduction, as it's pathetic that they are even trying to counter the decision.

On that note, I feel sorry for their fans but a 4 point reduction isn't really much of a punishment.

The League got this one spot on, they can't just stand by and watch Southampton win promotion after being caught cheating. I hope they kiss goodbye to more points after their appeal.

I can't imagine how devastated and let down their fans feel after this though. Imagine spending all season supporting your club up and down the country, only for it to throw away its chance of promotion through this kind of shenanigans. I'd be furious if Notts ever did this.

Live streaming Middlesboro's training session could pick up on...

team formation

moves Boro were working on

set piece routines, free kicks on goal, corner routines etc

penalty practce

injured or not 100% fit players

Edited yesterday at 19:381 day by theAnticlough

@theAnticlough reminds of Leeds United when they used drones to watch Derby County, I don't recall what happened with regards to that but it's our sight cheating. It's a bit silly because it shows Southampton paid more attention to Middlesborough than to getting ready for the game themselves.

If you resort to spying then you are focused on the wrong thing all together.

Sorry but I think this decision is very harsh.

It penalises the fan base & it penalises the players who have worked hard all season for an opportunity to get into the PL. By all means fine the club & punish those who were responsible, but not the fans or the players.

Apparently Southampton have sold around 37,000 tickets for the playoff final so far. How long before those fans get their money back, and maybe they won't want to give their tickets up. So where does that leave Middlesbrough?

One thing for certain. It's a mess.

PS, What about Hull? They've been preparing for Southampton all week. I understand they are not happy, now they are unprepared to play Middlesbrough, and apparently Middlesbrough have been preparing to play Hull just in case.

5 hours ago, Chris said:

If you resort to spying then you are focused on the wrong thing all together.

Yeah. You'd soon get to the situation where spied on teams would be adapting the training to misdirect the spies! Or just perceived spying or the chance of it - another example of focussing on the wrong thing

It's an important rule for the integrity of the game and it's great IMO that a strong message has been sent and example set. I don't see how the EFL could've done anything else @Robbie, although I did expect them to bottle it. Streaming stuff like free-kicks and corners back home is a clear violation of the spirit of the game, let alone the rules.

I've often wondered about this in relation to LW getting his players to 'practice their penalty'. Maca, Ruben and co chose what they were going to do and practised it. I wonder if they were checking for spies - they probably were, it takes nothing to send someone around, which is what Boro did.

If it became rife and uncontrollable, you could see the EFL dropping the rule - that'd be a sad day and change the game.

A fine typically isn't enough, because most teams in the Championship can more than likely afford it, so where is the punishment? Look how it doesn't deter Premier League teams from breaking rules. Spying on a team training is incredibly risky, and 4 points isn't remotely impactful. It does punish the fans, but so would a transfer embargo, or other limiting player based activity.

I would have at least docked 6-8 points, because that's the only way I can see it sending a clear message.

It's not just the 37,000 or so tickets that have been sold, it's also the train tickets, the bus tickets, the hotel rooms that have been booked by the Southampton supporters.

Some one talked to Talk Sport & said that it had already cost him £250 with the cost of a ticket & travel costs. Multiply this thousands of times & it's a lot of money spent that many might not get back.

Then we have one club who have been charged with 115 infractions over many years, but the football world is still waiting for a judgement.

I do feel sorry for the fans but as @Chris says how else can you do it? A fine is pointless they’d probably think it was worth it to get the info on the opposition.

If I was a Southampton fan my anger wouldn’t be directed at the EFL I’d be furious with the club, the person who sanctioned the spying should be sacked and banned from football. The fans should be reimbursed by the club for any money they have spent.

I don't think we have heard the full circumstances of what happened here. I think we have to wait for the full investigation to take it's course & what the motive was.

Is this practice widespread or not, & are the EFL just scraping the barrel here? Surely the person or persons involved would realise that they would be found out, & what could happen if they were. Maybe malicious forces wanted the club chucked out of the playoff final.

I can understand the Southampton players frustration. A chance to playing the PL with higher salaries, & better career possibilities.

Well yeah, all of that is what the spying was trying to take away from Middlesbrough - all their players and staff.

I guess we have to work under the assumption that the spying gave them an edge, so taking away the massive Premier financial bonanza from Middlesbrough. In these situations, my sympathies are usually with the injured rather than the guilty parties

6 hours ago, Fan of Big Tone said:

If I was a Southampton fan my anger wouldn’t be directed at the EFL I’d be furious with the club, the person who sanctioned the spying should be sacked and banned from football. The fans should be reimbursed by the club for any money they have spent.

Yes, shockingly bad governance of the club. If you're a member of the EFL you need to follow EFL rules, or face the consequences.

The decision is totally disproportionate - for any number of reasons. The severity of the breach has not been properly considered in a balanced manner. Clubs break all manner of rules - some matter, some don’t. Playing ineligible players is a serious offence that can affect a result. Videoing training just isn’t a major concern and has zero impact on a game. Let’s examine the actual evidence;

Previous offenders have received far more lenient penalties - Leeds got a £200k fine & Bielsa admitted he did at every game!

The rules state it is perfectly acceptable to “spy” on opponents up to 72 hours before a game, it is a relatively minor breach of a rather insignificant rule.

No quantifiable advantage was gained - every Club sits and watches endless hours of dvd’s of every game opponents play. That is the critical intelligence data, not some stuff from a practice session. They aren’t going to learn anything significant about set pieces, formations etc - nobody can predict how a game is going to transpire and what situations will develop. Plus, Soton did not win any of the 3 matches involved.

Then we cone to the fans - totally unfair on fans who have bought tickets, transport and hotels etc. Even unfair on some Boro fans who now may be away for the B Hol, having lost the semi. Plus, little time for others to make arrangements.

The most serious problem for the EFL is allowing an already beaten team to possibly gain promotion. Additionally, Hull now only have 3 days to prepare for a different opponent.

If Boro go up there is zero integrity in the game - they are out, they’ve lost, they have no further part in the competition at all. The time to boot Soton out would have been prior to the 2nd leg, not after it. It would have been as equally iniquitous then too, of course. It’s the AFCON decision all over again, absolute madness.

Have to say I disagree with every word of that @YoopEyes 

When Leeds were caught under Bielsa there was no law. The EFL brought it in as a necessary response to that, so there is no precedent against the rules.

There's massive stakes involved in promotion from the Champ to Prem. Soton trying to gain an advantage by breaking the rules was reckless governance and to me its a proportionate punishment, because all of that they were trying to cheat Middlebrough out of.

Anyway, I'm just relieved Chesterfield weren't spying on Maca as he practised his penalty down the middle or we might still be in the National league. These are the kind of stakes involved, and it's brilliant that the EFL are sending out a strong message that it won't be tolerated.

What do you disagree with? It’s a fact that you can, legitimately, “spy” on opponents up to 72 hours prior to a game. Why would you bother - as it’s pretty pointless? It remains a fact that, as such, any half decent solicitor, let alone a KC, would crucify the reasoning of the disciplinary body involved. They’ve made a complete Horlicks of it tbh. I’m no longer in the legal profession but I would have taken this case on in a heartbeat.

It’s a fact that there are negative consequences for various fan bases and for Hull. It’s a fact that Boro lost - they have no legitimate claim to be reinstated. If beaten sides are going to go on & win competitions then any sport is heading in the wrong direction. If you throw Soton out - Hull are promoted, end of story. Losers gaining advantage after they’ve been knocked out of a competition is a nonsense, in anybody’s sport or language.

It’s all about scale, balance and identifying the offence, its severity and its impact.

If you add in the fact that any film or photographic evidence was destroyed it rather negates any practical “impact”. The decision is simply unfair and unjust and should, rightly, be over turned in any Tribunal or due legal process. It probably won’t be in this case because it would cause even more turmoil and admin issues.

I would presume that Southampton will seek damages accordingly if they remain so badly wronged.

I agree @YoopEyes on this situation.

I feel that the EFL have dug a big hole for themselves with their judgement.

Apparently Middlesbrough supporters are buying tickets that the Southampton supporters already have. It looks like chaos is ensuing and nobody seems to have thought this out. What if the Southampton supporters decide to keep their tickets and stage a protest at the final? The EFL have opened a hornets nest here.

Southampton’s appeal has failed.

8 minutes ago, Fan of Big Tone said:

Southampton’s appeal has failed.

It was inevitable. I think the ramifications of this judgement will go on for years