Middlesbrough were defeated by Southampton in the play-off semi-finals, 2-1 on aggregate, but that is far from the end of the story.

The Teessiders drew 0-0 at the Riverside Stadium last weekend, but a setback in extra time against St Mary’s destroyed their chances of advancing from the Championship.

However, Kim Hellberg’s side could be restored for the final due to an EFL complaint of spying levelled against the Saints.

A hearing will be held in the coming days to determine a potential punishment, with reports indicating that the Hampshire outfit will accept the charge.

While Leeds United was fined £200,000 for spying on Derby County in February 2019, a regulation has since been implemented that prohibits the activity, which could result in sporting sanctions.

Hull City awaits in the final after knocking Millwall out of promotion contention with a 2-0 aggregate victory in their semi-final earlier this week, but it is yet unclear who they will face.

Middlesbrough: Steve Gibson appoints top lawyer in Spygate case.

The Telegraph (May 12, 7:01pm) reports that Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson has recruited lawyer Nick De Marco as part of the EFL’s action against Southampton.

De Marco has established himself as a key player in the world of sports law, and he had a role in David Storch’s takeover of Sheffield Wednesday earlier this month, as they raced to meet a soft May 1 deadline to complete the transaction.

The EFL is hoping for a quick turnaround between the opening and closing of the Southampton case so that a decision can be made before the play-off final on May 23, and Boro owner Steve Gibson has now hired De Marco to help them seek sporting sanctions against the Saints.

There are several potential disciplinary possibilities for Hampshire, including exclusion from the play-offs.

Middlesbrough is quite upset over the event, claiming they were cheated out of a spot in the play-off final because a Southampton staff member spied on their practices.

However, the verdict remains uncertain until an independent panel investigates the occurrence.

Evidence is still apparently being gathered, and it is unclear what impact De Marco can have on the case at this time, despite his reputation.

However, Boro will be hopeful that he can plausibly argue for the club’s reinstatement into the play-offs.

Middlesbrough has not competed in the Premier League since 2017, and this is their second play-off defeat since then, after lost to Coventry City in 2023.

Middlesbrough is throwing everything at the Spygate investigation; Tonda Eckert and Southampton should be terrified.

It was a tight affair at St. Mary’s on Tuesday night, and the game threatened to boil over several times.

The reaction of the players and Hellberg following the defeat shows that Middlesbrough has a lot of anger for Southampton.

The decision to hire De Marco as part of the litigation demonstrates how concerned Boro is about this occurrence and how far they are ready to go to argue their case.

It would be quite extraordinary if they were reinstated to the play-offs, with the only comparable example being Denmark’s qualification for Euro 1992 in place of Yugoslavia after initially failing to book their place in the competition – Tonda Eckert, on the other hand, should be slightly concerned about what may happen in the coming days and weeks given Boro’s decision to hire a top lawyer with a track record of success.