Simon Jordan warns Southampton of £20m-£30m windfall they might end up owing Middlesbrough over Spygate | OneFootball

The off-pitch drama has continued ahead of the second leg between the Saints and Boro.

The 'Spygate' drama is continuing to unfold in the backdrop of Southampton and Middlesbrough's Championship play-off semi-final clash, with both teams taking a goalless draw into the second leg at St Mary's on Tuesday night.

What was meant to be a simple two-legged affair with the winner taking their spot at Wembley later on in the month was complicated last week by the revelation from the Daily Mail that a Southampton staff member had been caught spying at Boro's Rockliffe Hall training ground.

EFL rules and regulations state that training sessions cannot be observed by opposition parties less than 72 hours before kick-off, but with the Saints being charged with an offence that happened just 48 hours before the first leg on Saturday, they could be in hot water.

The uproar could be even greater if Tonda Eckert's side progress past the Teessiders and face Hull City in the final, given the jackpot that awaits at the end of the play-offs, although many will likely say that justice has been served if Kim Hellberg can mastermind a success over the south coast outfit.

Simon Jordan makes multi-million Southampton punishment claim over Spygate

It is not the first time a club has been charged with spying offences, with Leeds United landing themselves in it ahead of their January 2019 league clash with Derby County - then-head coach Marcelo Bielsa paid the £200,000 fine himself, but rules have since been put in place to stop this kind of thing happening, and the sanctions could now be even more serious.

And prominent football pundit Simon Jordan - who used to be the chairman of Crystal Palace - has somewhat warned the powers-that-be at Southampton that a big punishment could be coming if found guilty of their charge - much like what happened to West Ham in 2007.

"I think Steve would've taken a view that that's not how the game is played, that's not the ethics of the game," Jordan told talkSPORT (May 12) ahead of the much anticipated second leg at St Mary's.

"I'm not sure I would've taken that position, but that's probably what he would do, and if it was Middlesbrough - but it's not Middlesbrough that are guilty of anything, Middlesbrough are the victims of it, and the interesting thing is going to be how this plays out and what the scenarios (are going to be).

"I can't imagine the EFL are going to want to pull Southampton out of the play-offs and change the whole direction and integrity of one of the biggest games in English football, one of the most broadcast games with the biggest value attached to it, and then you move into territory of what is the consequence - is there systemic abuse?

"Because there's a significant allegation which I think is going to be stacked up, that this is not an isolated incident - if it's not an isolated incident, then what you've got is systemic behaviour, then you've got a situation with the EFL, and what are they going to do?

"You've got a situation years and years ago when West Ham were sued by Sheffield United for fielding Tevez and Mascherano as third party players, and had to pay out £20m-£30m - is that the remedy?"

Whilst West Ham did not spy on anyone, they did commit a serious breach of the rules back in the 2006-07 Premier League season over their signings of Argentine pair Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano from Corinthians.

The Hammers were initially fined £5.5 million prior to the end of that season over third party ownership being involved in the deals through Kia Joorabchian's Media Sports Investment, and when Sheffield United were relegated over West Ham, the Blades sought financial damages from the east London outfit after they failed to get reinstated into the top flight.

After two years of court battles, the South Yorkshire club landed a £20 million windfall over a five-year period in an out of court settlement, and a big financial penalty in that range could be what lands at Southampton's feet if they're found guilty of their own breach of the rules.

Spygate drama is overshadowing Southampton v Middlesbrough - a decision needs to be made ASAP

Like Jordan has alluded to, it's hard to see Southampton being thrown out of the play-offs at this current moment in time, especially if they get to the final, which is a big showpiece for the EFL no matter who is involved.

If the Saints do indeed go on to win promotion off the back of being charged by the EFL for spying, then it does set a dangerous precedent without being heavily punished for their actions, and taking a chunk of the mass amount of money they'd make for being in the top flight for even one season may fit the crime.

Yet for some, that wouldn't be enough, and it certainly brings the game into disrepute if Southampton are found to be guilty of what they have been charged for.

What happens next both on and off the pitch will be huge, but Spygate isn't going to go away anytime soon - and expect the storm to get even worse if Eckert's squad gets to Wembley for the second time this season.