Marcelo Bielsa spygate echoes as EFL seeks answers from Southampton over alleged Boro filming | OneFootball

The EFL has asked Southampton for observations after a Middlesbrough complaint about alleged unauthorised filming ahead of Saturday’s Championship play-off semi-final first leg, reviving memories of Marcelo Bielsa’s 2019 spygate.

According to the Daily Mail, Middlesbrough staff confronted an individual at Rockliffe Park on Thursday morning whom they believed was linked to Southampton. The person is said to have deleted videos from a phone, refused to give a name and then changed clothes at the nearby Rockliffe Hall Hotel.

The EFL said it has written to Southampton to request observations following the complaint about alleged filming before the clubs meet on Saturday. It added that the alleged incident occurred on Middlesbrough’s private property and involved someone associated with Southampton, and that it is being treated as potential misconduct under league regulations. The League said it would not comment further for now.

Leeds United were fined £200,000 in 2019 after a staff member was seen watching Derby County train from a public footpath. Bielsa faced heavy criticism, then delivered a 70-minute briefing outlining his analysis, and later paid the fine himself.

If Southampton are found to have spied on Middlesbrough training, they could face punishment under rules introduced after 2019 that bar clubs from observing an opponent’s sessions within 72 hours of a match.

Luke Ayling, a promotion hero under Bielsa at Leeds, is now part of the Middlesbrough squad allegedly targeted. The first leg is at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday lunchtime, with the return at St Mary’s on Tuesday. Millwall and Hull City contest the other semi-final as all four sides chase promotion alongside Leeds.

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk