Kim Hellberg expressed his heartbreak after Middlesbrough's Championship playoff defeat to Southampton, which was overshadowed by allegations of spying. Southampton advanced to the final with a 116th-minute cross-shot from Shea Charles, but the victory has been tainted by an ongoing EFL investigation into two charges of breaching regulations.
Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert said the club are taking the allegations very seriously but declined to comment further while the investigation is ongoing. The 33-year-old German told reporters: "It's not easy for me to not comment, there's just nothing I can say at the moment because it's an ongoing investigation. We are taking the matter very seriously."
Hellberg accused Southampton of "disgraceful" behaviour and insisted a financial punishment would be inadequate. The Middlesbrough head coach described how the alleged incident, in which an analyst was reportedly caught filming their training session at Rockliffe Park, had broken his heart. "When that is taken away from you, when someone decides: 'Nah, we're not going to watch every game, we'll send someone instead, we'll film the session and see everything' – it breaks my heart," he said.
Hellberg confirmed he had not spoken to Eckert about the matter. "I have nothing to say to him … what should I say to him?" He also pulled up a reporter for using the word "alleged", and noted that Southampton's players and supporters were not to blame.
The match also saw a touchline confrontation after Luke Ayling reported a discriminatory comment made by Southampton's captain, Taylor Harwood-Bellis. Eckert appeared to move towards Hellberg but was separated by the fourth official, though Hellberg played down the incident.
