Southampton have once again responded to the EFL, this time claiming that two members of the disciplinary panel have ‘historic and indirect connections’ to Middlesbrough.
Southampton have claimed that they may not have received a fair punishment since two members of the EFL disciplinary panel on Spygate have “historic and indirect connections” to Middlesbrough.
Saints were kicked out of the Championship play-off final and penalised four points for the next season after confessing to spying on their opponents during the season. Borough were resurrected after losing to Southampton in the semi-finals, but they were defeated 1-0 by Hull City in the £200 million final at Wembley Stadium.
The FA has now opened its own investigation into the situation, putting manager Tonda Eckert under scrutiny. BBC Sport has obtained secret WhatsApp exchanges revealing that subordinate staff felt forced to spy on Borough, Oxford, and Ipswich.
The arbitration panel revealed its written reasoning in the disciplinary matter on Monday, sparking a stunning statement from the Championship team. They have accused Southampton of bias in the process, claiming that the “most serious allegations appear not to have been supported by direct evidence”.
The club’s statement read: “Southampton Football Club notes today’s publication by the Arbitration Panel of the written reasons behind our unsuccessful appeal of the sanctions imposed by the Disciplinary Panel in the EFL proceedings.”
The club violated regulations, and disciplinary bodies were justified in concluding that proof of sports advantage was not required to establish a significant crime.The club acknowledges that certain aspects of our original approach to the matter were not given the scrutiny they required at the time. In retrospect,
we wish this had been handled better from the start, and this was an error in judgement for which we accept responsibility. Regardless, we are pleased with the manner in which we admitted the charges and offered our complete cooperation and honesty once the formal EFL investigation process began.
“We also note that the club was held to the highest standards of integrity and good faith.” That is perfectly appropriate. What is more difficult to understand is that equivalent scrutiny does not appear to have been applied to the membership of the disciplinary panel itself, despite the apparent previous and indirect ties of two panel members to Middlesbrough. Although these links may not always indicate bias, they pose concerns regarding consistency, perception,
and independence in such large-scale proceedings.The club is particularly worried about the emphasis placed on claims that junior personnel were coerced into participating, when some of the most serious charges do not appear to be substantiated by clear evidence.
The club admits responsibility for failing to provide adequate leadership and oversight, resulting in junior employees feeling pressured.This case was finally determined on the grounds that breach and attempted breach were sufficient, regardless of whether any sports gain was obtained. In reality, at no point was it determined that the club gained any sporting advantage as a result of the conduct in question.
“That is a harsh reading, but it is one that the disciplinary authorities were entitled to apply under the regulations as worded. Southampton Football Club is to review internal systems and tighten governance, monitoring, and decision-making procedures in response to the published reasons.Our role now is to acknowledge what has occurred, accept responsibility for the lessons learned, and use this experience to strengthen our discernment, discipline, and integrity as a club moving ahead.”
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