Saints Spied on Town at Eastleigh
Wednesday, 20th May 2026 10:00

Southampton sent a spy to watch Town training at local non-league side Eastleigh ahead of the penultimate match of the season, it is being reported.

Yesterday, the Saints were expelled from the Championship play-off final and docked four points to be implemented next season for the Spygate scandal, which emerged when one of their analysts, Will Salt, was spotted filming a Middlesbrough training session ahead of their play-off semi-final.

An EFL statement released last night revealed that the Hampshire club also admitted spying on Town and Oxford United ahead of earlier games.

More details are gradually emerging with WhatsApp messages sent between head coach Tonda Eckert and analysts proving to be something of a smoking gun and their contents presumably having led to the admissions regarding Town and Oxford.

According to The Athletic, the Blues were training at National League Eastleigh’s training facility, also in Hampshire, ahead of the Tuesday 28th April match, which the Saints needed to win in order to maintain their automatic promotion hopes.

The Southampton spy was dressed in Eastleigh kit in order not to attract suspicion. Eckert, who looks set to face FA charges, was apparently unimpressed with the quality of the intelligence the spy provided after watching Town and the U’s.

The Blues were at Playford Road on the Monday morning, Kieran McKenna holding a 9am press conference, before travelling south later that day.

While making no official comment, as reported yesterday, Town were unaware of the Saints’ spying until rumours began to circulate in recent days and then the EFL officially informed them shortly before yesterday’s statement was released.

Southampton have lodged an appeal against the severity of the sanction, which is set to be heard by a senior judge later today, with Hull City still waiting to hear definitively who they will face in Saturday’s play-off final at Wembley, Middlesbrough, as it stands presently, or the Saints, should their appeal be successful.

Photo: Matchday Images

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Barty added 10:05 - May 20 Cheats. Really pleased they have been kicked out of the play offs and to have points deducted.
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StrathdonBlue added 10:06 - May 20 Am I alone in kinda hoping the appeal judge increases the punishment?
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cressi added 10:15 - May 20 Couldn't make it up almost comedy gold if it wasn't so sad. What a carry on.
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petersongoal added 10:19 - May 20 Really pleased with the severity of the punishment, cheating should have no place in the game and hopefully this sets a precedent going forward. Now, we just need to hold Manchester City to account! If this is what Southampton get, I can only imagine the severity City will have to face.
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swede added 10:33 - May 20 So, no-one at Eastleigh noticed a stranger in their kit taking videos of Ipswich training? Were they in on it too?
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SouperJim added 10:37 - May 20 @swede presumably he just looked like a local fan with a mobile phone, I don't think we need to go looking for a conspiracy theory
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bluetoba added 10:42 - May 20

Imagine for a minute that you or I (as lets say we’re simple ramblers), happened upon happened upon Championship training facilities during our jaunts, facilities that weren’t/aren’t cordoned off and off-limits for the general public to wander into and we happened to take some video of some footballers training and then posted it on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube etc. that could be viewed/consumed by whomever chooses to watch it..

Would Southampton be guilty of a leg-up in a scenario such as that?

poet added 10:42 - May 20

Southampton are not appealing against the verdict, but are appealing against the punishment. They say it’s disproportionate.
Apparently the appeal panel will have 2 new arbitrators. Why?
Southampton obviously believe that the punishment is too severe. But what about Middlesbrough, how severe a punishment is denying them the opportunity to earn millions because Southampton spied on their training session, and cheated?
Surely not allowing Middlesbrough to play in the final is certainly disproportionate. They are the victims in this, and they deserve justice. In my opinion, the only proportionate justice for Middlesbrough is to allow them to play in the final. It must not be forgotten, the victims (Middlesbrough) have just as much to lose as Southampton. Anything than the EFL standing by their decision, in my opinion, will be fudging their responsibility.

boysof1981 added 10:44 - May 20 Think this is just the start, more will come to light I’m sure. Hopefully they get a bigger points deduction than the current 4. Taints their fantastic run of form for sure.
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IndependentlyBlue added 10:52 - May 20 The fact that the manager is knowingly involved makes it so much worse. At first it was being spun as a ‘rogue’ analyst trying to make a name for himself. Now seems it was systemic cheating endorsed from on high. Wouldn’t be surprised if the points deduction is increased
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Dissboyitfc added 10:52 - May 20 I don’t think for a second the cheating altered the score against boro, however it was cheating and an example needs to be made of them, could have had a massive impact on the result had it gone to penalties! Punishment is plenty good enough, hope it gets increased!!!
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ChrisFelix added 10:56 - May 20 Was it necessary, this was the form team of 2026 in the Championship. Then I ask the question was this achievment because they were cheating
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AJW1971 added 10:56 - May 20 Suspect they spied on many more opponents, as makes no sense why they would spy on Oxford in December, then not start again until April for us
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MathieandMarshall added 11:02 - May 20

There is so much more to this surely!

I dont believe for a second that they spied on 23rd place Oxford back in December and then not again until playing Town at the end of April.

They have admitted to those games as they won neither! Think of the matches in between when they went on an incredible winning run to make the play offs in the first place. They wouldn't admit to gaining an advantage in those games through fear of larger consequences.

Tootingblue added 11:12 - May 20 It could have been so much worse. Imagine Southampton had beaten us and denied us promotion, or had beaten Oxford and been the difference between relegation or survival, the litigation between clubs and meltdown of the EFL would have been off the scale. That's why the penalty must be severe to prevent it ever happening again.
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Churchman added 11:18 - May 20 I hope with the Eastleigh kit he was wearing a false beard and glasses to complete the disguise. This story is amazing, not least for its stupidity.
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d77sgw added 11:26 - May 20 I suspect the original punishment included the 4 point deduction for 26-27 because that is the thing which could be dropped on appeal. No way they’re getting back into the play-offs.
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JPR77 added 11:30 - May 20 Tootingblue... It could still get worse. Wrexham and Derby, both of whom could have reached the play-offs on the final day of the season, will feel aggrieved and the four point deduction has come too little, too late for them. This will drag on into next season.
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LandOfMickyStockwell added 11:37 - May 20

Using third party facilities, as with Eastleigh, would be very difficult to be made secure compared with a home training pitch. Expecting this to be the case would be unrealistic. Eastleigh could have been used by other teams, but I would hope that they (and Ipswich) would have been savvy enough to do the secret work at home and use Eastleigh for basic skills training. What is hard to hide is the players that are fit. The question over Hackney feels like the motive for Soton to travel to Boro.

north_stand77 added 11:49 - May 20 Apart from the cheating , this sounds more like an old 'Carry On ' film the more we hear. Hmmm, now there's a thought!
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blues1 added 11:55 - May 20 Bluetoba. He wasnt on public land. He was on a golf course owned by the middlesborough owner. Clearly wasnt there to play golf, was he? And clearly not a member of the general public.
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badadski added 11:56 - May 20 He wasn’t happy with the spies report ha ha. I reckon Jack Clarke was still on the bench so they didn’t know how to deal with him
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Theipswich added 11:59 - May 20 Cheats should not prosper...Southampton quite rightly kicked out and will pay the price for cheating....good riddance and hopefully they will learn their lesson now..
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NottsTractor added 12:29 - May 20

The punishment does not seem particularly lenient to me.
If, as the EFL are indicating, the league games are seen as separate to the play off game, then a two point per game deduction has been applied, with only 4 of those points carrying through to the league (as above separate to the play offs).

Ipswich and Oxford games = 4 point EFL deduction next season
Middlesborough game = moved from a draw to a loss which is in effect 2 point deduction.

I would have thought a team should automatically forfeit (i.e. lose) any game they have attempted to cheat in AND then additional penalties should be imposed.

Additionally, while I can empathise with the Southampton fans anger, I think they should direct that at the club hierarchy rather than the EFL, they chose this approach.