Southampton is awaiting the outcome of a disciplinary panel hearing following their alleged Spygate incident, while Middlesbrough hopes to be restored in the Championship play-off final.

Six major football commentators have spoken out on the sanctions that should be imposed on Southampton as a result of Spygate. An independent disciplinary panel hearing will assess if the club violated EFL rules by witnessing Middlesbrough’s training sessions prior to their semi-final first leg.

Fines, point deductions, and expulsion from the playoffs are all possible penalties before next weekend’s Wembley Stadium final versus Hull City. Given that this is a nearly unprecedented situation, perspectives differ greatly.

There are even some claims that they did nothing wrong. Mirror Football has collated the views of some well-known pundits below…

Danny Mills: No Punishment

Mills told Bet St George: “There is so much data available in this day and age. Was there any significant change in their setup as a result of being spied on? You have been playing the same manner for 46 games. “What new information can you learn?”Players and coaches will always try to gain an advantage.

We’ll always try to see if someone in the camp can share the team selection information early. Football teams frequently leak information through agents or family members.Middlesbrough’s training ground is extremely open. I’ve played there, and I know you can see everything just by standing at the fence. It’s not a huge deal.

“I have even seen managers who, knowing other teams are watching, deliberately set up the wrong team during closed training sessions to throw off the opposition.”Come on, it won’t make much of a difference; there are no big secrets in those techniques; just get on with it.”

Gabby Agbonlahor received a huge fine.

Agbonlahor stated on talkSPORT: “I disagree with (the expulsion). It’s excessive.”I understand, Spygate. It’s not on. But what would they really learn by seeing Middlesbrough train? That’s why it’s so unusual from Southampton. What will you discover that you cannot see in every film of Middlesbrough’s games this season? ”

They are by far the better team for me, which is very odd.”They claim Middlesbrough has a possibility of making the play-off final, but that won’t happen. The turnaround time is too short.

Southampton’s management has allowed this to happen, not the players or fans.A hefty fine and move on; I don’t think you can start claiming Boro will win the final or Hull will go straight up.”

Gaizka Mendieta is on the fence

Mendieta told PlayUK: “It’s like the AFCON story, which is still ongoing. It was really similar. According to some sources, Boro plans to challenge the outcome.This must be quite difficult for the players; in their minds, they may feel as if they should already be on vacation, and some of them may have booked flights just in case.

Mentally, it is clearly more challenging than physically. Physically, the players are fit. “The key is to keep players engaged and focused on a large-scale game.”But for the time being, they should stay there; we’re not sure how long. The sooner it’s resolved, the better it is for Boro and football. If they make it to the final, I’d pick Boro to win.

Jobi McAnuff is outright cheating.

McAnuff stated on Sky Sports: “Well, I would completely echo those thoughts in describing this circumstance [as terrible]. To get that far at this point in the season, if confirmed. “There must be evidence to support the charges.”This game, and everything we love about football in this nation, is about integrity.

Every time you step onto that field, win, lose, or draw, there is an element of fairness. This totally blows that out of the water; however you dress it up, there is no other word to describe it but cheating. To visit another club’s training facility, which should be private when preparing for a big game. You should be able to refine your tactics.

Nicky Butt—no punishment

Butt told Paddy Power: “This has been going on for years. I remember when we (Manchester United) first started playing in Europe, when I was probably around 20, we used to always practice at the stadium the night before a game, and the manager (Sir Alex Ferguson) would never, ever do the actual starting eleven.

He’d always make a false one. He avoided set pieces and let two star players walk off with ice packs on their hamstrings due to fear of public scrutiny.People may say, ‘It’s not right, it’s cheating. It’s simply the way things are in professional football. Teams will know the starting lineup, you will be familiar with all of the players, and you will be able to watch games at any moment. They can see everything on WyScout.

“It’s very ridiculous. If Southampton have to see Middlesbrough like this for a full season, the management, recruitment team, and scouting team should all be fired immediately. They should know everything about them; there are no mysteries in football. They know who is injured and who is not.

Players that are at least 80% fit will participate in the second leg of the semi-finals.It is an FA regulation, which I understand, but it has been going on for years and will continue for years. I do not see a problem with it. “You can observe training at most grounds from a distance.”Perhaps some of the high-level Premier League ones are like Fort Knox, but most (training) facilities across the country and around the world can be watched from within 100 metres of a fence.

What will you be able to tell the management the following day?’I know how to beat Middlesbrough because I saw a lad go down the sideline. It’s complete nonsense and absurd. It’s quite childish.

“This will happen to every single manager. However, any manager who accuses employees of cheating is hypocritical because they are doing the same thing. Perhaps not with their own eyes, but by sending others to witness it.”

Simon Jordan – hefty fine.

Jordan stated on talkSPORT: “The interesting thing will be how this plays out and what the scenario is.” I can’t image the EFL wanting to pull Southampton out of the play-offs and alter the entire direction and integrity of one of the most important games in English football, with the most money connected to it.

“I believe there is little question that Southampton is responsible for this. I believe there is little doubt in the minds of Middlesbrough and the EFL. “I believe Southampton has little doubt.The argument will then shift to the repercussions. I believe Steve Gibson would have asked Southampton to apologize in his boardroom,

based on my understanding of his behavior.I believe Middlesbrough will not make a big deal out of this because they do not want to be perceived as the team that potentially disturbs the play-offs, cries wolf, or whines about something. “They will want to do it differently.”