Championship clubs ‘to review’ CCTV after Southampton spying charge | OneFootball

The Championship play-offs have been overshadowed by allegations of spying before Middlesbrough’s tie with Southampton, with the EFL charging the Saints ahead of a goalless first leg at the Riverside.

A member of Southampton’s backroom staff was allegedly seen watching a Boro training session before the game. Home supporters arrived with binoculars and directed chants at the visitors. Saints boss Tonda Eckert faced repeated questions and left his post-match press conference early.

The dispute shows no sign of fading, and some reports suggest Southampton will not contest the charge. According to talkSPORT, several Championship clubs are reviewing CCTV to check whether they may have been monitored by Southampton during the season.

It is not known if West Brom are among them. The Guardian reports that Middlesbrough have been contacted by clubs who suspect they were targeted.

That report added that other second-tier sides were surprised by how readily Southampton adapted to unexpected shapes and appeared to anticipate set-piece routines during a 19-game unbeaten league run.

The teams meet again on Tuesday evening for the second leg. After the first game, Boro boss Kim Helberg said every Championship club should be angry, arguing that seeing an opponent’s pre-match session gives a massive advantage and that Southampton knew a first-half shape Boro had never used.

He also said it felt unfair, with the visitors having seen everything from set pieces to goal-kicks.

Source: ExpressAndStar.com