EFL are told why Southampton's play-off expulsion is the only possible punishment

Our Middlesbrough fan panel have their say on Spygate and the possible punishments

Middlesbrough hope to this week find out the result of the independent EFL investigation into Southampton's alleged spying on the Boro training camp ahead of the Championship play-off semi-finals.

The Teessiders lost 2-1 to the Saints after drawing the first leg 0-0 at the Riverside, but with the play-off final due to take place this Saturday, answers over potential punishments if Southampton are found to guilty, are needed fast.

We asked our fan panel, which consists of Youtube analyst Phil Spencer, Boro Breakdown co-host Dana Malt, Boropolis co-founder Chris Cassidy and Twe12th Man member John Donovan, their thoughts for if Boro have to go through the play-offs.

John Donovan

If Southampton are found guilty of the charges against them then obviously they need to be punished. As this will be the first time that a charge for a breach of this particular regulation has occurred, there is no previous punishment to use as a template.

The Leeds spying case was admitted to, and punishment was meted out by way of a fine. There were no rules in place at the time and that case prompted rules to be added to EFL regulations.

Another issue, regarding the Southampton case, is was this a solitary incident or was it common practice to watch opponents on the training ground before games?

The EFL need to use this case to show that the integrity of football is paramount and that cheating will not be tolerated. By issuing just a fine to Southampton, who could, if promoted, receive over £200m in revenue, would not be sufficient to act as a deterrent.

Neither will a points deduction, as, if promoted, the points deduction can only be recommended to the Premier League. A strong robust punishment would be to exclude Southampton from the play off final.

But unfortunately I can't see that happening. The whole saga has been badly handled by the EFL, and as a result the whole episode is a complete shambles.

Phil Spencer

The only acceptable punishment has to include being expelled from the play-off final. A fine, points deduction or transfer embargo in isolation simply won't cut it given the charge.

Southampton need to be punished, but equally as important is the need for Middlesbrough to be vindicated. Unless that happens, justice simply hasn't been served for Kim Hellberg's side.

The concern is that time is swiftly running out with the play-off final coming around quickly and so that suggests that every day it seems less likely that Boro will be heading to Wembley.

Southampton's conduct has been incredibly poor over the last week or so and it might prove to be the case that this conduct is a much longer-term problem. As a result, I sincerely hope that the EFL throw the book at them and give them what they deserve.

Dana Malt

The only appropriate punishment is Southampton’s expulsion from the play-offs. That is the only way the EFL will maintain any form of integrity. If they don’t, they are accepting clubs making a mockery out of their own regulations.

Southampton have breached not one but two EFL rules, and, crucially, they’ve breached one that directly prohibits what they did at Rockliffe last Thursday. A fine doesn’t wash. What sort of deterrent is, say, a six figure sum when the prize money for what’s at stake is £200m? That would be a measly slap on the wrist and effectively tells other sides that they can also spy on opponents because the risk is worth the reward.

A points deduction is naff as well. If this occurred in the league season, deduct them as many points as you see fit. But this is the play-offs. It’s a knockout tournament. To me, you’re either in or you’re out. Swindon got kicked out of the EFL Trophy this very season for fielding an ineligible player. That’s an administrative error. What Southampton have done is not an error - it’s a calculated act of trying to gain an illegal advantage. They should be removed.

Chris Cassidy

Cheats should never prosper, but if Southampton are allowed to compete in the play-off final, on this occasion, they will. The south coast club has acted like anything but saints over the past week and should not have the opportunity to play in the ‘richest game in football’.

Elite-level sport is about fine margins, and if rules are broken to gain any level of advantage, there must be relevant sanctions that act as a firm deterrent to prevent other clubs and athletes from even considering the prospect.

In the context of ‘spygate’, as soon as Southampton had been charged with a breach of EFL regulations, I knew the two legs were going to be shrouded by ‘what ifs’ and the potential implications on the outcome of the independent panel’s hearing.

Ultimately, Boro came up short on the pitch, but once the allegations had been put forward just over a week ago, to me, it was more about the potential premeditated intent that Southampton had demonstrated to try and gain an edge.

Rules were broken, and why else would Saints have sent someone from the opposite end of the country to observe one of Kim Hellberg’s sessions if they didn’t feel like they could gain from it?

This line of thinking came well before the development of this story. There have since been photographs of the alleged spy and reports suggesting Southampton have even used similar tactics on other occasions.

The severity of the punishment would, of course, be heightened if the alleged spying has been systemic, but that is perhaps a bigger scandal in itself.

Based purely on the disruption to preparations for the first leg alone, the integrity of the EFL’s jewel in the crown is brought into disrepute.

This wasn’t a run-of-the-mill league fixture where Boro could gain +3, +1 or nothing at all; the play-offs are a knockout competition, and the stakes are monumental. Therefore, there should be a monumental sporting punishment to match.

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As well as hearing their views on particular Boro topics on Teesside Live each week, you can also hear from them further on their respective platforms.

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