Southampton 'spygate' punishment: What might happen with Championship playoff final as EFL investigates

The two clubs drew 0-0 in the first leg, and Southampton won the return fixture at home by a 2-1 score, seeing them through to the playoff final while Middlesbrough were eliminated.

However, Boro have submitted a formal complaint to the EFL over the alleged spying, and the EFL has opened an investigation, charging Southampton with a breach of the league's regulations.

"The charges relate to the following Regulations: EFL Regulation 3.4, which requires clubs to act towards each other with the utmost good faith; and EFL Regulation 127, which 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," a statement by the EFL on May 14 read.

"Under EFL Regulations, Southampton would ordinarily have 14 days to respond to the charges. However, given the nature of the matter, the EFL will ask the Independent Disciplinary Commission to shorten the response period and to list a hearing at the earliest opportunity."

Regulation 127 was the rule written in the aftermath of the Leeds spying scandal in 2019, when Marcelo Bielsa's team were caught spying on Derby County. It reads:

Without prejudice to the requirements of Regulation 3.4 (that each Club shall behave towards each other Club with the utmost good faith), no Club shall directly or indirectly observe (or attempt to observe) another Club’s training session in the period of 72 hours prior to any match scheduled to be played between those respective Clubs.

Meanwhile, Regulation 3.4, referenced in the EFL statement above, reads:

In all matters and transactions relating to The League each Club shall behave towards each other Club and The League with the utmost good faith. Further, each Club shall deliver to the League a copy of the Club Charter signed by the appropriate Director for and on behalf of the Club. The League shall be entitled to publish the Club Charter.

The matter will now be handled by the Independent Disciplinary Commission, with an independent mediation company known as Sport Resolutions handling the matter.

Who was the Southampton spy?

According to an article published by the Daily Mail, the Southampton spy was identified to be intern William Salt.

The report states that Salt is part of manager Tonda Eckert's staff, claiming he is "a key part of Eckert's first-team operation and highly valued by the German head coach."

The Daily Mail states that Salt was identified to have used his credit card at a coffee shop close to the Middlesbrough training ground on the same day he was photographed nearby. This has prompted a further investigation into whether Salt used his card at shops near other Championship club training grounds close to the time Southampton played certain road games.

What could Southampton's punishment be?

There are a range of possibilities for Southampton's potential punishment.

On the low end, they could receive a fine. Leeds United were hit with such a sanction during their similar spying incident back in February of 2019. The Whites were slapped with a £200,000 ($260,180) fine for being caught observing Derby County training.

However, this light punishment was largely chalked up to the fact that a rule against observing opposition training did not exist in the EFL statutes, therefore limiting the league's ability to hand down a harsh punishment.

This time could be different. While there is unlikely much to be tangibly gained from observing opposition training, the practice is highly damaging to the league's impression of fair and impartial competition, and the EFL could look to make an example of Southampton if the commission finds they have committed a clear and blatant breach of the league's regulations.

In particular, if the commission finds more than one spying incident, the punishment for Southampton could be much harsher. The EFL will be motivated to send a message to clubs that this kind of activity is not acceptable. They will be aware that issuing a fine could encourage teams to continue spying on opposition training, with some sides feeling the punishment is not heavy enough to deter the activity.

Could Southampton be banned from playoff final?

If the EFL wants to come down harder on Southampton, there is definitely a chance they could be barred from competing in the playoff final.

Southampton are scheduled to match up against Hull City in the 2026 final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, May 23.

However, that match will be pending the outcome of the EFL's investigation and any subsequent disciplinary action. It is certainly possible that, if found to have violated the league's statutes, Southampton could receive sporting sanctions. They could be given a points deduction commuted to next season, but a more immediate sanction could be their removal from the EFL playoffs, with Middlesbrough sent to the final instead.

With this potential outcome still on the table, Boro have reportedly instructed their players to remain on call, ready to resume their season if they are indeed advanced to the playoff final. It leaves the club in an awkward situation, not knowing whether their season is over or not.

Reports have claimed that Middlesbrough will be given the weekend off before returning to training on Monday, while the offseason pitch conditioning and care process for their training ground has also been put on hold.

Boro have also reportedly retained the services of sports disciplinary hearing specialist Nick de Marco, who was said to be involved in the process that saw Sheffield Wednesday surprisingly avoid a points deduction for falling into administration.

Will the Championship playoff final be postponed?

There is a chance that the 2026 EFL Championship playoff final is postponed.

As of now, Southampton are set to face off against Hull at Wembley on May 23, with the winner earning the final promotion spot to the Premier League for the 2026/27 season.

However, the disciplinary process could force the postponement of the match. The EFL warned in its statement that the playoff final could be impacted by the disciplinary proceedings.

"The Independent Disciplinary Commission hearing will take place on or before Tuesday, 19 May," the EFL statement read. "The exact date remains under discussion and is expected to be confirmed shortly. The Commission will issue its decision as soon as possible following consideration of the relevant submissions and evidence.

"As the proceedings are being conducted by an Independent Disciplinary Commission, the EFL does not control the proposed timetable.

"Supporters should, however, be aware that the outcome of the disciplinary proceedings may yet result in changes to the fixture."

There is a problem here, however. Wembley Stadium is booked May 24 and 25 for the League One and League Two playoff finals, as well as May 30 for a rugby event and May 31 for the women's FA Cup final. After that, players will have to depart for international duty with the World Cup on the horizon.

Could the playoffs be replayed?

Replaying the playoff semifinals between Middlesbrough and Southampton is not a viable solution and highly unlikely to be elected as a course of action.

With the World Cup coming up, and the summer approaching, the situation needs to be resolved now so games can be played and the season concluded.

Replaying both semifinal legs, or even as a one-off match, would take too much time given Hull City would have to sit around waiting for a winner to be decided before the final could be contested.

One way or another, either Southampton or Middlesbrough will almost certainly be a 2026 finalist and tabbed to play Hull City by the end of these proceedings.