Southampton sent a junior intern to allegedly spy on Middlesbrough’s training session ahead of their Championship play-off semi-final.
Daily Mail Sport has learnt the identity of the employee in his early 20s who was caught in the bushes at Boro’s Rockliffe Park training ground this week.
The individual at the centre of the ‘spygate’ storm has worked for Saints for nearly a year and is listed as a first-team analyst. He has worked at other Premier League clubs.
His current job description includes the word ‘intern’, raising serious questions over why Southampton would instruct a junior member of staff to break EFL rules, if that was the case.
The club have not commented, 24 hours on from Daily Mail Sport breaking the story of the sensational spying furore.
The EFL are investigating and, if Boro’s allegations are proven, a substantial fine will likely be served as a minimum punishment. The sanction could yet be more severe, given clubs were clearly instructed not to spy on opposition training following the Leeds United spygate saga of 2019. The League introduced a new rule after Leeds were fined £200,000 when boss Marcelo Bielsa admitted to sending a colleague to snoop on Derby County’s training.
A junior Southampton intern was spotted at Middlesborough’s Rockliffe Park training ground
Leeds were embroiled in the original spygate saga when Marcelo Bielsa sent staff to surveil Derby’s training session – but with limited success
Kim Hellberg’s Boro host Tonda Eckert’s Saints at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday, and it was on Thursday morning that staff noticed suspicious activity in a green area overlooking training.
A male was approached by club staff and it is claimed he deleted video and pictures from his mobile phone before refusing to identify himself. He then left the site of the training ground and made his way into the nearby Rockliffe Hall Hotel, owned by Boro chairman Steve Gibson, before changing clothes in a toilet and leaving the area.
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An EFL spokesperson said: ‘The EFL has written to Southampton FC requesting their observations following a complaint from Middlesbrough FC relating to alleged unauthorised filming ahead of the two Clubs meeting in Saturday’s Championship Play-Off Semi-Final First Leg.
‘The alleged incident is said to have taken place on Middlesbrough’s private property by an individual identified to be associated with Southampton. The League is treating this matter as potential misconduct under EFL Regulations and will be making no further comment at this time.’
Middlesbrough did not comment.
