Southampton could be in danger after a member of their backroom staff was discovered filming outside Middlesbrough’s training site. Here’s the EFL rule that prohibits such activity.

It’s little surprise that emotions are rising ahead of Middlesbrough’s Championship playoff semi-final first leg against Southampton on Saturday morning.

There is, of course, a lot at stake. At the end of a tough 46-match season, both clubs are on the verge of returning to the promised land. For Southampton, winning the play-offs would be a rapid comeback after being relegated from the Premier League at the end of 2024-25, while Middlesbrough would be returning to the top flight for the first time in nine years.

With so much at risk, it’s understandable that the teams involved would seek out any possible advantage. However, if recent claims are right, Southampton may have gone too far in their pursuit of marginal benefits.

Southampton could be in breach of EFL rules that forbid filming opponent training sessions.

According to Sky Sports, Middlesbrough has filed a formal complaint with the EFL after someone thought to be a Southampton staff member was found attempting to videotape one of their Rockliffe Park training sessions.

This type of behavior is expressly prohibited by EFL regulations. EFL regulation 127 – “Prohibited Conduct – Observing Training Sessions” – expressly prohibits teams from obtaining access to opposing clubs’ training sessions, noting that: ‘Without prejudice to the requirements of Regulation 3.4 (that each Club shall behave with the utmost good faith toward each other Club), no Club shall directly or indirectly observe (or attempt to observe) another Club’s training session within 72 hours of any match scheduled to be played between those respective Clubs.’

This restriction was implemented in 2019 when a Leeds United club representative was found photographing a Derby County training session before to a Championship match between the two teams. Although there was no rule in effect at the time that clearly prohibited such behavior, Leeds was fined £200,000 under Regulation 3.4. Leeds United later apologized for the incident.

The EFL’s rigorous standards for documenting opponent training sessions might land Southampton in hot water.

As the financial gap between the Premier League and the Championship has grown wider, the Championship play-offs have become increasingly important for the clubs that are fortunate enough to participate.

Winning them might change a club’s finances. According to the BBC, winning the Championship play-off final is worth at least £200 million, which surpasses the revenue generated by an average Championship club during a season.

Furthermore, we are in an era of marginal improvements on the pitch. For much of the season, the Championship was a tight division, with only four points separating second-placed Ipswich Town and fifth-placed Middlesbrough. In an era when there appears to be little difference between teams on the field, knowing what set-piece plays your opponents will attempt could be a critical edge in a two-legged draw.

The incident between Leeds United and Derby County in 2019 – known as ‘Spygate’ – was a huge box office hit for onlookers, but it was extremely embarrassing for the EFL, as evidenced by them fining Leeds and then introducing a new rule to address the situation.

And there’s a caution for both Southampton and Middlesbrough in the story’s conclusion: neither Leeds nor Derby gained promotion from the Championship at the end of the 2018-19 season, with Aston Villa winning a return to the Premier League after defeating Derby 2-1 in the play-off final at Wembley.

With this match already shaping up to be a stressful one due to what everyone knows is at stake, Southampton could find themselves in hot trouble if it is discovered that they have broken this particular regulation.