Southampton ‘spy’ pictured and named after he made bank card mistake | Football | Sport

A fresh twist has emerged in the Southampton ‘Spygate’ saga after it came to light that the alleged spy may have left behind a vital clue. Southampton defeated Middlesbrough on Tuesday night to secure their place in the Championship play-off final, yet their appearance at Wembley hangs very much in the balance. Saints triumphed 2-1 courtesy of Shea Charles’ late extra-time strike at St Mary’s. They have sealed their spot in the play-off final against Hull City on May 23.

But Southampton still face the prospect of being thrown out by the EFL, with an independent disciplinary commission poised to rule on the alleged rule breaches. Boro claim that a Saints staff member was caught in the act using his phone to film their training session two days before the first leg, which finished 0-0. The south coast club have stated they are co-operating fully with the investigation, which is progressing swiftly to ensure a conclusion well ahead of the play-off final.

Middlesbrough are pushing for sporting sanctions and will press on with training in the hope that the EFL remove Saints from the play-offs as punishment, should they be found guilty. Evidence continues to be gathered by Middlesbrough, and the strength of their case became considerably clearer on Wednesday afternoon.

The Daily Mail has published a photograph of the alleged culprit, William Salt, who is an intern on Tonda Eckert’s staff. The image shows Salt standing beside a tree on the footpath at the edge of Boro’s training ground while holding up his phone.

The report further states that Salt used his personal bank card to purchase a coffee at Rockliffe Hall Golf Club, which backs onto the training ground and is owned by club chairman Steve Gibson.

This raises the prospect of a paper trail across the country, with Middlesbrough harbouring suspicions that Southampton may have spied on other clubs throughout the course of the season.

The outcome of the saga is yet to be determined. While Boro are pushing for expulsion from the play-offs and reportedly hold evidence that this is not an isolated incident, there is less severe precedent. Back in 2024, the Canadian women’s Olympic team were handed a six-point deduction for deploying a drone to spy on New Zealand’s training sessions.

Saints are alleged to have breached rule 127, which makes it an offence to observe another club’s training session within 72 hours of a match. The regulations were introduced following Leeds United’s spying on Derby County in 2019.

Ahead of Tuesday’s second leg, Southampton chief executive Phil Parsons said in a statement: “The club is fully cooperating with the EFL and the Disciplinary Commission, whilst also undertaking an internal review to ensure that all facts and context are properly understood.

“Given the intensity of the fixture schedule and the short turnaround between matches, we have requested time to complete that process thoroughly and responsibly. We understand the discussion and speculation that has followed over recent days, but we also believe it is important that the full context is established before conclusions are drawn.

“Having spent a significant amount of time around this football club, I know the character of the people within it.”

Following his side’s defeat, a visibly emotional Boro manager Kim Hellberg opened up about the countless hours he had dedicated throughout the season to match preparation, adding: “When that is taken away from you in that way, when someone decides: ‘No, we’re not going to watch every game. We’ll send someone instead and film the session and see everything and hope we don’t get caught.’ I guess that was why they were switching clothes and all those things.

“It breaks my heart in terms of all those things I believe in. That’s the thing. I don’t care if there are other rules in different countries. This is England where football is the biggest thing. That’s my feelings about it. I think it’s disgraceful. It makes me very sad.”