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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Niall McVeigh

Spygate: one of football’s stranger and more pointless transgressions

A fan is seen using binoculars outside the stadium prior to the Championship playoff semi between Middlesbrough and Southampton
We can expect more of this at the Riverside, doubtlessly. Photograph: Ed Sykes/Getty Images

RE-REWIND

The recent international break has proved to be a goldmine for punishment admin, nicely wrapped up on Wednesday night with the latest chapter of the Southampton Spygate saga. It sounds like a three-part Netflix documentary – and almost certainly will be one day – but for now, here’s a reminder of what went down; feel free to add your own haunting synth soundtrack … two days before the first leg of their Championship playoff semi-final, Middlesbrough staff spotted someone lurking on the perimeter of their training ground and the EFL confirmed “an individual associated with Southampton” was involved. Southampton won the tie and advanced to the final, but the storm kept building. After days of uncertainty and wild speculation, Saints were kicked out of the playoffs (and docked four points for the following season) and Boro went to Wembley. Their opponents, Hull City, threatened their own legal action, which by now we can safely assume is going absolutely nowhere.

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