Middlesbrough report Southampton first-team analyst to EFL for spying on their training session from a bush | OneFootball

Middlesbrough have reported Southampton to the EFL after allegedly catching a Saints first-team analyst spying on a training session ahead of this weekend’s Championship play-off semi-final showdown.

According to the Daily Mail, the extraordinary incident took place on Thursday morning at Rockliffe Park, just two days before Southampton travel to the Riverside for the first leg.

A man believed to be employed by Saints was spotted concealed in bushes close to Boro’s training base while allegedly recording the session on his mobile phone.

Club staff reportedly approached the individual, who then deleted videos and photographs from his device before refusing to identify himself.

The man then reportedly left the training ground area and entered the nearby Rockliffe Hall Hotel.

Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson owns the Rockliffe Hall Hotel, where he is said to have changed in a toilet before departing the premises.

Middlesbrough have now contacted the EFL, with the governing body expected to investigate the matter.

Publicly accessible online profiles allegedly link the individual involved to Southampton’s backroom staff set-up.

If proven, the incident could constitute a breach of EFL regulations surrounding conduct between clubs.

Regulation 3.4 states that clubs must act towards one another and the League with the utmost good faith.

The controversy has immediately drawn comparisons to the infamous Spygate scandal involving Marcelo Bielsa during his time at Leeds United in 2019.

Ahead of a Championship clash with Derby County, a Leeds employee was caught observing Derby’s training sessions, with Bielsa later admitting responsibility for the operation.

Leeds were subsequently fined £200,000 after admitting the breach, while the scandal dominated headlines during the promotion run-in.

This latest episode threatens to add even more tension to an already fiercely anticipated play-off clash, with both Middlesbrough and Southampton battling for a place back in the Premier League.

Coventry City and Ipswich have already sealed their return to the top-flight next season.