The Spygate scandal has taken a new twist as Millwall and Wrexham are reportedly weighing up legal action against Southampton, seeking compensation after the Saints were disqualified from the Championship play-off final for spying on Middlesbrough.
According to The Guardian, both clubs are awaiting the written reasons of the independent disciplinary panel before deciding whether to proceed with claims. They believe they may have sufficient grounds to pursue compensation.
Southampton were thrown out of the play-off final after admitting to spying on Middlesbrough ahead of their semi-final first leg. The Saints won the second leg 2-1 but have since been replaced by Boro in Saturday's Wembley showpiece.
Millwall lost to Hull in the play-off semi-finals, while Wrexham finished seventh and missed out entirely. Wrexham confirmed to TeessideLive that they are monitoring developments, with a spokesperson saying: "We look forward to receiving the full details of the decision in due course." Millwall has also been contacted for comment.
The punishment was confirmed this week after an unsuccessful appeal by Southampton on Wednesday evening. The sanctions include a four-point deduction at the start of the 2026/27 Championship season.
Hull City have also joined the potential legal action, believing they have grounds to be promoted directly to the Premier League without playing the final. Owner Acun Ilicali told Turkish press: "Under normal circumstances, two teams have reached the final and one has been disqualified. Our lawyers' opinion is that we should go directly to the Premier League, but they're examining it right now."
Ilicali added: "We had been preparing for Southampton for 10 days. Now, with the days left until the final, the opponent has changed. Tomorrow the players are off, Thursday is the last serious training session. We'll prepare for the new opponent with one training session."
Southampton face further consequences as the FA has launched a formal investigation into the matter. A statement read: "We will now investigate, and won't comment further until we have assessed the evidence."
For Middlesbrough, attention turns to the Wembley final, with kick-off at 3.30pm. Victory would secure their Premier League place.
