Sky Sports reporter reveals 'exact' spot Southampton spy was watching Middlesbrough training | OneFootball

Middlesbrough suffered a 2-1 defeat to Southampton in their play-off semi-final

Middlesbrough suffered defeat to Southampton in the second leg of their play-off semi-final on Tuesday night.

Riley McGree initially put Kim Hellberg’s side ahead in the opening stages, but goals from Ross Stewart and Shea Charles sealed victory after the first leg ended 0-0.

The Teesside outfit’s hopes of promotion are now seemingly over, although the possibility remains that they will be reinstated to the play-offs if Southampton are expelled.

The Saints have been accused of spying on Boro’s pre-match training session ahead of the first leg clash at the Riverside last week.

The EFL have charged Tonda Eckert’s side after an analyst was caught filming the training session by Middlesbrough staff.

An independent tribunal is now set to investigate the incident, with an outcome expected before the 23 May final at Wembley, and expulsion is a possible punishment on the table.

Southampton spy spot location revealed

It has been reported by Sky Sports that the analyst who spied on behalf of Southampton was standing behind a tree just outside the Middlesbrough training ground.

It’s believed that he was roughly 100 yards from where the first team squad were preparing for their semi-final fixture at home to the Saints.

The analyst allegedly packed up his camera equipment once he was spotted, indicating that an extensive amount of spying was being done ahead of the crucial fixture.

This has led to a lot of uproar from Boro, particularly in the aftermath of their defeat at St. Mary’s on Tuesday night.

Hellberg branded the incident as “disgraceful” as he expressed his disbelief at a rival club spying on his team’s training.

The EFL introduced a rule banning the spying of pre-match training sessions after Leeds United were fined £200,000 for their incident involving Derby County in February 2019.

Middlesbrough will be awaiting the decision of the investigation into Southampton’s charge, with it being possible that they could be reinstated for the final against Hull City.

The Tigers won 2-0 in their semi-final against Millwall, and will be preparing for the titanic clash at Wembley on 23 May.

It’s been reported that Southampton will accept the charge of spying, but it remains to be seen whether they will receive a fine or a sporting sanction.

It’s been claimed that Middlesbrough are pushing for a sporting penalty, but that could also include a points deduction for next season, rather than being expelled from the play-offs.

Tensions are high between Middlesbrough and Southampton

It was clear on Tuesday night throughout their meeting at St. Mary’s that tensions are high between the two clubs.

Middlesbrough’s players and coaching staff were visibly quite emotional with the defeat, and Hellberg was distraught in the post-match press conference.

The Teesside outfit now face the prospect of another year in the Championship, and it would be unusual for them to receive a second chance at promotion after losing to the Saints.

That the analyst was allegedly hiding behind a tree goes to show how farcical this entire situation is, and just what kind of extremes clubs will go to in order to get any advantage.