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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Socceroos star Riley McGree\u2019s bid to reach the English Premier League with Middlesbrough has fallen short in heartbreaking fashion. Again.<\/p>\n Or has it?<\/p>\n English football is in unchartered territory after Southampton progressed to the Championship play-off final at Boro\u2019s expense in a spiteful clash on Wednesday morning (AEST) \u2013 days after they were charged by the English Football League for spying on their opponents, which could lead to them being kicked out of the race for promotion, and the $370 million windfall that comes with it.<\/p>\n Even though their season is now officially over, Boro is reportedly set to continue training in the hope that they could earn a last-minute reprieve from the EFL \u2013 which could, in turn, further delay McGree\u2019s arrival to the Socceroos\u2019 World Cup pre-camp in Florida<\/a>.<\/p>\n Last week, two days before the first leg of the play-off semi-final, an analyst from Southampton was caught red-handed in the bushes at Middlesbrough\u2019s headquarters, filming one of their training sessions. The analyst was reportedly confronted, deleted the footage he had captured and left the area, but it prompted an immediate investigation from the EFL, which has referred the case to an independent disciplinary commission.<\/p>\n Southampton have been charged with breaking two EFL regulations which prohibit teams from observing an opponent\u2019s training session within 72 hours of a match, and requires clubs to act with \u201cutmost good faith\u201d towards others.<\/p>\n These rules were tightened after the first edition of \u2018Spygate\u2019 in 2019<\/a>, when then-Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa admitted he had sent an assistant coach to watch Derby County train before a play-off match, revealing it was part of a systematic approach to gathering intel on rivals that he had deployed throughout his career.<\/p>\n Back then, such activity was not strictly prohibited by the EFL, and so Leeds were punished only with a fine. But that moral grey area is now black and white, with sporting sanctions firmly on the table \u2013 including expulsion from the play-off final, in the most dramatic scenario \u2013 if Southampton are found guilty.<\/p>\n The problem is the independent commission has not yet made a ruling, and may not do so until the identity of the third and final team to clinch promotion to the Premier League is settled next weekend in the final at Wembley \u2013 popularly described as the \u201crichest\u201d game in English football because of the financial spoils that go to the victor.<\/p>\n At this stage, it will involve Southampton and Hull City, but that could soon change, with the EFL having requested an expedited hearing.<\/p>\n After a 0-0 draw in the first leg played at Middlesbrough\u2019s Riverside Stadium, their manager Kim Hellberg said every club in the Championship should be \u201cangry\u201d about Southampton\u2019s conduct; since then, rivals from other clubs in England\u2019s second division have reportedly approached Boro with concerns that they, too, may have been subjected to Southampton\u2019s prying eyes this season.<\/p>\n The club, however, privately maintains that the analyst caught in the bushes was a \u201clone wolf\u201d, and not part of a Bielsa-esque spying strategy, and has asked for more time to conduct an internal review.<\/p>\n \u201cSome people say it doesn\u2019t give you a big advantage. That\u2019s wrong. It\u2019s a massive advantage,\u201d Hellberg said on the weekend. \u201cWithout it, it would have been impossible for them to know our shape in the first half. We have never used that shape before today \u2026<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone at Southampton has made the decision to go and cheat. That\u2019s clear. It\u2019s just wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n McGree, who turned down the chance to join Ange Postecoglou at Celtic <\/a>to sign for Boro in 2022 and chase his Premier League dreams, scored the opening goal in Wednesday\u2019s second leg after just five minutes \u2013 but Southampton equalised on the stroke of half-time, held on to force the tie to go into extra time, then scored the winning goal in the 116th minute through Shea Charles to seal a 2-1 aggregate victory.<\/p>\n Speaking afterwards, a shattered Hellberg paid tribute to Southampton\u2019s players and fans \u2013 but notably, not their coaching staff \u2013 and insisted a fine would not be adequate punishment.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we didn\u2019t catch that man who they sent up, five hours to drive, you would sit here and say \u2018well done\u2019 maybe in the tactical aspects of the game, and I would go home and feel like I have failed in that aspect that I had to help my players,\u201d Hellberg said.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cBut when that is taken away from you, when someone decides: \u2018Nah, we\u2019re not going to watch every game, we\u2019ll send someone instead, we\u2019ll film the session, and see everything, and hope they don\u2019t get caught\u2019 \u2026 it breaks my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked if he had spoken to his counterpart, Southampton manager Tonda Eckert, Hellberg said: \u201cNo, I have nothing to say to him.\u201d<\/p>\n Eckert was pressed on the spying allegations in his own post-match press conference. He initially offered a \u201cno comment\u201d but then, after being asked if he was a \u201ccheat\u201d with the second question, walked out \u2013 just as he did after repeated questioning after the first leg.<\/p>\n What happens next is anyone\u2019s guess.<\/p>\n Football has a new Home. Stream the Premier League<\/a>, UEFA Champions League, Emirates FA Cup, UEFA Europa League and more live & on demand on Stan Sport<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Socceroo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/92141d9fdede0fce1b8da668427f2302e9cf8c626fff1c38d15fbd0fd7b8e952.jpeg\")
Socceroo Riley McGree (left) scored the opener on Wednesday morning.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Kim](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/abfc8e28c07357891d4fbabb80b8179a451c22e9fc261c49b2eeec886b9388bc.jpeg\")
Kim Hellberg (Middlesbrough) and Tonda Eckert (Southampton) clash on the sidelines.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Southampton](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/22451bc021b5652254da8932ee6bc8c53c1e97ee154d161f35e17db662034431.jpeg\")
Southampton fans celebrate their victory – but their fate is in the hands of an independent disciplinary commission.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Southampton](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/57d09cdfa82df3009fb59a0c26ebf16ab53c7a48ead1279ffa04564ef04726e6.jpeg\")
Southampton coach Tonda Eckert.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Long](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f4916fcf42b815462a197ca98f86a450e21cb5b4c5e13f6422314aad4bdeee5e.jpeg\")
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