Will Southampton Be Eliminated If Found Guilty in the Middlesbrough Spygate Case?

Last night, Southampton defeated Middlesbrough 2-1 in extra time in the seocnd leg of the EFL Championship promotion playoff semifinal.

Southampton would play Hull City in the promotion playoff final at Wembley Stadium on May 23, 2026. The match is scheduled to go on, and the winner will get promoted to the Premier League next season.

Despite the win and celebrations, there had been a serious investigation against Southampton due to an alleged spy, who was seen watching Middlesbrough players train before the second leg yesterday.

The Telegraph reports that the alleged Southampton spy was hiding behind a tree, and more details revealed that he had professional surveillance equipment, complete with a microphone to record voices and technology to livestream the footage back to someone watching remotely.

Mail Sport reports that the alleged spy is revealed to be Southampton intern William Salt.

Keith Downie visits Middlesbrough's training ground and stands in the exact spot where it's alleged a member of Southampton's staff was "spying" on their session ahead of the Championship play-off semi-final. pic.twitter.com/zsZolG8MJe

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) May 13, 2026

Southampton Could Face Ban from Promotion Playoff Final?

The Telegraph reports that Middlesbrough players are told to continue training in case Southampton receives a ban from the promotion playoff final against Hull City following this investigation.

Middlesbrough is reportedly intensifying pressure on the EFL to throw out Southampton from the playoff final following this incident.

The Times reporter Martyn Ziegler reports that two possibilities are that Southampton is likely to face sporting sanctions, such as being excluded from the play-off final or points deduction next season, if found guilty of spygate.

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This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 11:10 AM.