Southampton charged with espionage by the EFL in 2026

The English Football League has charged Southampton with spying on Middlesbrough before their Championship play-off semi-final.

The EFL charges Southampton with spying on Middlesbrough An image from Getty Images shows the scene where a Southampton staff member was caught spying on Middlesbrough's training session. The English Football League has requested the independent disciplinary commission to expedite the case against Southampton. The commission will have the authority to decide on a hearing at the earliest opportunity. Southampton was charged with a breach of EFL regulations after a complaint from Middlesbrough about alleged unauthorized filming on private property before their meeting in the Championship play-off semi-final first leg. ## Southampton's alleged spying on Middlesbrough According to sources, a Saints performance analyst recorded Boro's training session and took pictures of their tactics on Thursday morning. The staff member was caught, deleted the footage, and left the area. Middlesbrough were furious and later contacted the EFL about the incident. This was not the first time a team has been accused of spying in the Championship. ## EFL Regulation and Southampton's response Under EFL Regulation 3.4, clubs are required to act towards each other with the utmost good faith. EFL Regulation 127 prohibits any club from observing or attempting to observe another club's training session within 72 hours of a scheduled match between the two clubs. Southampton would normally have 14 days to respond to the charges, but the EFL will ask the independent disciplinary commission to shorten the response period. ## The first leg of the Championship play-off semi-final The first leg of the semi-final takes place at Riverside Stadium on Saturday at 12:30 BST. The return match is scheduled for Tuesday at St Mary's. This is not the first time a team has been accused of spying in the Championship, as Leeds United were fined £200,000 by the EFL for watching opponents train before matches seven years ago.