Socceroos star Riley McGree’s bid to reach the English Premier League with Middlesbrough has fallen short in heartbreaking fashion. Again.
Or has it?
English football is in unchartered territory after Southampton progressed to the Championship play-off final at Boro’s expense in a spiteful clash on Wednesday morning (AEST) – 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.
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 – which could, in turn, further delay McGree’s arrival to the Socceroos’ World Cup pre-camp in Florida.
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’s 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.
Southampton have been charged with breaking two EFL regulations which prohibit teams from observing an opponent’s training session within 72 hours of a match, and requires clubs to act with “utmost good faith” towards others.
These rules were tightened after the first edition of ‘Spygate’ in 2019, 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.
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 – including expulsion from the play-off final, in the most dramatic scenario – if Southampton are found guilty.
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 – popularly described as the “richest” game in English football because of the financial spoils that go to the victor.
At this stage, it will involve Southampton and Hull City, but that could soon change, with the EFL having requested an expedited hearing.
After a 0-0 draw in the first leg played at Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium, their manager Kim Hellberg said every club in the Championship should be “angry” about Southampton’s conduct; since then, rivals from other clubs in England’s second division have reportedly approached Boro with concerns that they, too, may have been subjected to Southampton’s prying eyes this season.
The club, however, privately maintains that the analyst caught in the bushes was a “lone wolf”, and not part of a Bielsa-esque spying strategy, and has asked for more time to conduct an internal review.
“Some people say it doesn’t give you a big advantage. That’s wrong. It’s a massive advantage,” Hellberg said on the weekend. “Without it, it would have been impossible for them to know our shape in the first half. We have never used that shape before today …
“Someone at Southampton has made the decision to go and cheat. That’s clear. It’s just wrong.”
McGree, who turned down the chance to join Ange Postecoglou at Celtic to sign for Boro in 2022 and chase his Premier League dreams, scored the opening goal in Wednesday’s second leg after just five minutes – 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.
Speaking afterwards, a shattered Hellberg paid tribute to Southampton’s players and fans – but notably, not their coaching staff – and insisted a fine would not be adequate punishment.
“If we didn’t catch that man who they sent up, five hours to drive, you would sit here and say ‘well done’ 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,” Hellberg said.
“But when that is taken away from you, when someone decides: ‘Nah, we’re not going to watch every game, we’ll send someone instead, we’ll film the session, and see everything, and hope they don’t get caught’ … it breaks my heart.”
Asked if he had spoken to his counterpart, Southampton manager Tonda Eckert, Hellberg said: “No, I have nothing to say to him.”
Eckert was pressed on the spying allegations in his own post-match press conference. He initially offered a “no comment” but then, after being asked if he was a “cheat” with the second question, walked out – just as he did after repeated questioning after the first leg.
What happens next is anyone’s guess.
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