Middlesbrough manager Kim Hellberg has expressed his astonishment and anger following an alleged “spygate” incident involving Southampton, accusing their Championship play-off rivals of a brazen attempt to “cheat”.
The controversy overshadowed Saturday’s goalless semi-final first leg at the Riverside Stadium, with Hellberg eagerly awaiting the EFL’s decision on potential sanctions.
The build-up to the crucial play-off fixture was dominated by reports that Middlesbrough had accused Southampton of sending an individual to snoop on their training session on Thursday.
Boro promptly reported the incident to the EFL, which subsequently charged Southampton for breaching regulations on the eve of the match.
Despite the engrossing 0-0 draw, the events preceding the game were the primary focus of the post-match press conference. Hellberg did not mince words, stating: “It’s a weird situation. Couldn’t believe my eyes or ears when heard it, couldn’t believe it when someone told me for the second time or the third. But if someone makes decisions to go and try to cheat, that’s clear and it will be interesting to see what happens with that.”
The Boro boss highlighted the significant advantage gained from observing an opponent’s training, noting that his team deployed a formation in the first half that they had never used before, making it “impossible to know” from previous games. Hellberg conveyed his feelings of anger, disappointment, and disrespect towards those responsible for the incident.
The situation bears striking similarities to the 2019 “spygate” scandal involving Leeds United, where then-manager Marcelo Bielsa was fined £200,000 for sending someone to watch Derby County train.
That incident led the EFL to introduce a new rule prohibiting teams from observing each other’s training sessions within 72 hours of a match.
When questioned if a substantial fine would be adequate punishment for Southampton, Hellberg pondered: “Who’ll get the fine? Should they pay the EFL? OK, so they see everything we do…I don’t know. We’ll see what happens. I just think it’s weird that they do that and try to cheat in this type of game to be fair.”
He further reflected on the Bielsa precedent: “Didn’t Bielsa pay 200 (thousand) when it was not the law, right? To be fair, I think a lot of clubs will pay that amount to try to get that advantage of seeing the two sessions before a game that is of this magnitude. I think a lot of clubs will pay that. But it’s not legal, so they wouldn’t do it.”
Hellberg refrained from calling for Southampton to be expelled from the play-offs ahead of Tuesday’s second leg at St Mary’s, stating, “That’s not my decision to make. I’m just telling you what it is.”
He confirmed he had not spoken to Saints counterpart Tonda Eckert and suggested the outrage should extend beyond Teesside.
“You don’t do this,” the Swede asserted. “It’s rules and you don’t plan to do this and you have disguise and all those things. It’s not only us. I think every team in the Championship should be angry because who knows? So, yes, wrong. Yes, wrong.”
Asked about suspicions of Southampton spying on other clubs, Hellberg concluded: “I’m just thinking about now, that we find them in the bushes. I’ve had a lot of different things to focus on.”
