Southampton manager Tonda Eckert or technical director Johannes Spors could face a ban if found guilty of ordering the alleged SpyGate mission that has engulfed the club. The Saints booked their place at Wembley this week by beating Middlesbrough in their play-off semi-final, but the victory came amid allegations of spying before the first leg at the Riverside Stadium.
The EFL charged Southampton with misconduct after Middlesbrough allegedly caught a member of their analyst staff spying at their Rockliffe training ground. The individual has been identified as intern William Salt, who was photographed hiding behind a tree using his mobile phone to spy on the Teessiders’ training session before being confronted.
The hearing, yet to be confirmed, will be conducted by an independent disciplinary commission. One possible outcome, should Southampton be found guilty, could be to ban Eckert or Spors for matches, reports The Sun. Middlesbrough are ready to launch their case and are understood to have details of a credit card used by the individual at a golf club next to Rockliffe, which could form part of a paper trail.
Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson has enlisted high-profile sports lawyer Nick De Marco, and the club are calling for the EFL hearing to begin before the weekend to provide clarity. The possibility exists that Southampton could be expelled from the play-off final, which could see Middlesbrough reinstated.
In an embarrassing climb-down, Southampton have deleted all ticketing updates for the final, which they wrongly posted on Wednesday night. The club say the confusion was due to the fact they were meant to publish details at the same time as fellow finalists Hull.
