Fans poked fun at the ‘Spygate 2.0’ saga by bringing binoculars to their Championship play-off semi-final between Middlesbrough and Southampton at the Riverside.
Controversy struck this week when one of the Saints’ analysts was caught spying on Boro’s players just days before today’s first-leg clash.
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It was claimed the staff member was spotted in the bushes at Middlesbrough’s training ground earlier in the week.
The saga then escalated on Friday, as the EFL charged Southampton for a breach of their regulations.
Tasty affair
Boro’s fans had plenty to say on recent events as gameday rolled around at the Riverside.
As Southampton’s team bus arrived at the stadium, the Middlesbrough faithful gathered outside in their numbers to give them a hostile welcome.
They chanted: “You cheating b*******, we know what you are.”
And kick-off proved just as eventful, as fans poked fun at the saga.
Cameras panned to Middlesbrough fans holding up binoculars in the stands in reference to their opponents’ recent exploits.
One went a step further, with a creative young Boro fan even bringing a tree branch with them to hammer home the joke.
In fact, both sets of supporters appeared amused by the drama, as a Southampton fan was seen mimicking the use of binoculars.
Saints fans joined in on things too, as they could be heard chanting: “We’ll spy when we want.”
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After finishing level on points in fifth and fourth places respectively, Middlesbrough are bidding to return to the Premier League for the first time since 2017, while Southampton are chasing an immediate promotion back to the top-flight.
Eckert unfazed
Southampton boss Tonda Eckert was relaxed when discussing this week’s events ahead of kick-off at the Riverside.
In his pre-match interview, Eckert was asked if he had anything to add following the Saints’ recent EFL charge.
In response, the German smiled before replying: “I believe the club has made a statement yesterday and that’s all I can say at the moment.”
Eckert then played down the spying incident when asked for his views on the practise of observing other teams’ training sessions.
He said: “I believe if you come to this stage of the season, it’s not coaches winning the game, it’s the players and it’s going to be exactly the same today.”
On whether he expected Boro’s players to be more fired up as a result of the drama, he simply said: “We are focused on ourselves, and we have been all week
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“We know that we face a good team today, and they’ve been good all season, so it’s going to be a good challenge.”
Spygate 2.0?
This week’s saga will feel like deja vu for many, as it is almost an identical case to the infamous ‘Spygate’ saga in 2019.
A similar incident occurred prior to a match between Leeds United and Derby County in January 2019.
Then Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa admitted to instructing a colleague to spy on the Rams’ training.
His side were subsequently fined £200,000 by the EFL after admitting to breaches of their rules.
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And Southampton could soon find themselves subject to the same punishment if they are found guilty by the independent commission.
