Southampton visit Middlesbrough in the second leg of their Championship play-off semi-final on Tuesday, but the spying incident has once again dominated the build-up.

The EFL has charged the Saints after Boro claimed that a member of the South Coast club’s staff spied on their training session ahead of the first match on Saturday.

Against that tight backdrop, Middlesbrough and Southampton drew 0-0 at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday, with both teams hitting the woodwork.

The winner of Tuesday’s second leg will meet Hull City in the Championship play-off final on May 23 at Wembley Stadium, with the Tigers defeating Millwall 2-0 on Monday.

Simon Jordan discusses how Middlesbrough owner Steve Gibson would react if his manager was accused with spying.

Middlesbrough and Southampton both had 80 points in the regular Championship season, demonstrating how little there is to choose between the two teams.

However, as a result of the Saints’ spying charge, off-field issues have dominated conversations about the play-off battles between Kim Hellberg’s team and Tonda Eckert’s side.

Southampton said on Tuesday, just hours before the second leg at St Mary’s Stadium, that they are completely complying with the EFL and the Disciplinary Commission in an official club statement.

Meanwhile, talkSPORT host Simon Jordan has said that he believes Middlesbrough owner Steve Gibson would have taken significant action by now if Boro had been accused of spying rather than Southampton.

Speaking live on Tuesday’s episode of White & Jordan, the former Crystal Palace chairman said: “I think Gibson, if he was in the situation, in terms of his management, I think he would have fired his manager.”I believe he feels this passionately. I know him. For years, I’ve observed him acting in a specific manner. I believe Steve would have said, “That is not how the game is played, and that is not the game’s ethics.”Regardless of whether Southampton advances to the Championship play-off final, the entire extent of their espionage charge has yet to be determined.A similar occurrence occurred in 2019, when Leeds United were discovered spying on a Derby County training session, prompting the EFL to develop its current laws on the subject.According to Teesside Live, EFL punishments for watching or filming rival training up to 72 hours before a game could include points deductions, fines, and transfer embargoes, and the Disciplinary Commission can impose whatever discipline it deems appropriate.

Southampton could fire Tonda Eckert if the Saints are found guilty of spying.

Intriguingly, Jordan believes that Gibson, whom he claims to know well, would have fired Boro manager Hellberg by now if the espionage allegations were the other way around.

Meanwhile, if the EFL and the Disciplinary Commission determine that Southampton did spy on a Middlesbrough training session last week, the Saints will have to make a difficult decision about Eckert’s future if the German was engaged in the controversy.

Eckert has established himself as one of the greatest managers in the second division, as the St Mary’s Stadium side has not lost in the Championship since a 2-1 setback to prospective play-off final opponents Hull on January 17.

However, as Jordan mentioned, spying on an opposing training session violates the spirit of the game and EFL rules, thus some owners may choose to fire their manager for such situations.