Article by Daniel Scorpie – Published on Tuesday, 19 May 2026, 21:27 / Updated on Tuesday, 19 May 2026 21:37
Southampton were knocked out of the Championship play-offs due to the 'Spygate' scandal. As such, Middlesbrough have been reinstated and will face Hull City in the final scheduled for Saturday 23 May for promotion to the Premier League.
Southampton, who have the right to appeal against the verdict, will also carry a four-point penalty for next Championship season, Sky Sports also announces.
A spy sent by Southampton was caught filming a training session of rivals Middlesbrough with his phone!
The Saints played Middlesbrough in the play-off semi-finals and advanced after extra time. In the round it was 0-0, and last Tuesday, on St. Mary's Stadium, the hosts won 2-1 and therefore had to play for third place (Coventry and Ipswich went straight in) in the Premier League against Hull City on 23 May.
Where did the scandal start? Middlesbrough have accused their opponents of trying to spy on them in one of their final pre-match training sessions after a man was discovered filming their training session at Rockliffe Park on his phone.
The 'Spygate' scandal knocked Southampton out of the Premier League promotion final
Approached by a Middlesbrough employee, the man ran off and went into the changing rooms at the nearby golf complex to change. Boro suspected him of being a member of Southampton's staff and filed a complaint with the English League, supported by CCTV footage from the area.
The English League (EFL) opened an investigation based on the complaint of “alleged unauthorized filming” and judged it as disciplinary misconduct. regulations prohibit a team from “directly or indirectly observing” their opponent's practices in the preceding 72 hours prior to the live match. At the time of filming, there were still about 48 hours until the start of the game.
Southampton admitted violations of the regulations in the matches played against Oxford, Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough!
According to the EFL, Southampton admitted “multiple breaches” of unauthorized filming of opponents' training sessions before matches. The Saints were first charged on May 8, and additional charges were issued on May 17 in connection with additional violations during the 2025-26 season.
“Southampton have admitted breaches of regulations relating to matches against Oxford United from December 2025, Ipswich Town from April 2026 and Middlesbrough from May 2026.
Southampton and Middlesbrough were neighbors in the ranking // photo: Imago Images
The EFL is currently in discussions with all three clubs regarding the implications of today's decision and will make a further announcement in due course,” Sky Sports explained.
Following the unprecedented decision to exclude from the pool (the previous case happened in 2019, at a championship match, in which Leeds spied on Derby, through an envoy of Marcelo Bielsa, being fined 200,000 pounds), Southampton was replaced by Middlesbrough, who will play the final with Hull.
