The EFL are said to be investigating the claim
Championship side Middlesbrough caught a suspected Southampton spy allegedly recording a training session from the bushes of their Rockliffe Park centre, according to a report in The Mail.
The alleged incident comes just 48-hours before the two Championship outfits are set to meet in the first round of the play-offs for a spot in next season’s Premier League.
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Per The Mail’s reporting, a “male individual was spotted and approached by club staff on Thursday morning,” and that all recorded content was deleted by the alleged spy, who is said to have refused to identify himself.
The outlet claim that “his public profile pages identify him as a current employee of Southampton.”
Further reporting in the Southern Daily Echo, has suggested that the EFL are aware of the incident and that investigations are underway, the results of those investigations, and any potential sanctions for the Saints, have yet to be confirmed however.
Southampton’s semi-final first leg begins against at Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium, with the teams set to kick-off on Saturday at 12.30pm.
That match will be followed by a second-leg at St Mary’s on Tuesday, the aggreagte winner of which will then play either of Millwall or Hull in a Wembley final.
What happened during the 2019 “Spygate” scandal?
Back in 2019, a Leeds side led by Marcelo Bielsa were accused of spying on Derby County training ahead of a Championship match between the two.
The Argentine head coach eventually admitted to the tactic, and the club were later fined were fined £200,000.
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