More Championship clubs fear they have been targets of Southampton's spying

"Middlesbrough have been approached by fellow Championship clubs who harbour suspicions that their pre-match training sessions may also have been spied on by Southampton. The English Football League has charged the south-coast club with misconduct after a member of Tonda Eckert's backroom was allegedly caught breaching regulations by filming and making audio recordings of one of Kim Hellberg's final practice sessions before his Middlesbrough side faced Eckert's Southampton in Saturday's playoff semi-final first leg at the Riverside Stadium."

"Images of the alleged spy, believed to be a Southampton first-team analyst, being apprehended by Boro staff at the team's Rockliffe Park training base near Darlington on Thursday have been widely circulated. I think every club in the Championship should be angry because, who knows, said Hellberg after Saturday's game. It's wrong. It's just wrong. Given Boro are in possession of what they consider strong CCTV evidence of the alleged offence, it is understood Southampton will not contest the charge at an independent disciplinary commission scheduled to convene within the next fortnight."

"They may, however, try to claim the man in question was an intern, desperate to impress and acting unilaterally as a lone wolf. Meanwhile, other second-tier clubs have shared with the Guardian their surprise at the ease with which Southampton adapted to supposedly unexpected team shapes and appeared able to second-guess set-piece routines during an unbeaten run of 19 league games towards the end of the season. That may, however, have been down purely to the tactical skill of Eckert, a 33-year-old former analyst of the German national team who took charge last November."

Middlesbrough reported that Championship rivals suspected Southampton of spying on pre-match training sessions. The English Football League charged Southampton with misconduct after a backroom member was allegedly caught filming and recording audio during one of Kim Hellberg’s final practice sessions before Middlesbrough played Southampton in a playoff semi-final first leg. The alleged spy, believed to be a Southampton first-team analyst, was reportedly apprehended at Rockliffe Park training base. Middlesbrough prepared for the second leg at St Mary’s with the tie goalless. Southampton is expected not to contest the charge, though it may argue the person was an intern acting alone. Other clubs questioned how Southampton adapted to unexpected shapes and second-guessed set-piece routines during a late-season unbeaten run.

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