Spygate panel disagree as Southampton, Middlesbrough and Hull await play-off outcome

With just a week to go until the Championship play-off final is scheduled to take place, we still don't know for sure who Hull City will be playing... or whether the game will even kick off as planned.

The Tigers are set to face Southampton at 4.30pm next Saturday, but there is the small matter of the Spygate scandal to still be resolved.

For those that have been living under a rock, a member of Saints' backroom staff is alleged to have spied on a Middlesbrough training session ahead of the first leg of their playoff semi-final.

The EFL are investigating those allegations and Southampton , should they be found guilty, could yet be kicked out. That's what Boro have now publicly called for, a sanction which could result in them ending up in the Premier League .

We have spoken to a reporter from each of the three clubs involved to get their take on the saga...

Southampton have put the EFL in between a rock and a hard place. They've been forced to solve a tricky conundrum - and do it extremely quickly. These sorts of issues usually take ages to unravel and they always leave some parties unhappy.

Saints' actions are indisputably wrong. They are unsportsmanlike and deserve punishment. But throwing them out of the play-offs does not fit the crime - and I don't think it will happen, given the legal blowback it would trigger.

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Boro have been pushing for a sporting sanction and that is right; a fine by itself clearly isn't enough, especially if Saints win promotion back to the Premier League and the riches that come with it.

The problem is that the other sporting sanctions left available are guaranteed to leave the EFL open to accusations of letting Saints off the hook. A hefty fine, a touchline ban for Tonda Eckert - if it is proven he commissioned the spying - and a points deduction next time Southampton play in the Championship would be the best compromise.

Regardless of the cloud hanging over them, Southampton's players and fans deserve their trip to Wembley.

Hull City are seemingly the forgotten party in this whole sorry affair, which is taking the shine off what should be the best build-up to any game this season. City are preparing for Southampton, not knowing if that's who they will face on Saturday, while both other clubs know they're facing the Tigers.

City fans have been booking travel with fans coming from across the globe, and if it's moved to Tuesday night, they stand to lose thousands. There will be so many fans, young and old, who would miss out. Once again, fans are the ones left to pick up the pieces.

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Despite the powers continually claiming fans are the lifeblood of football, the reality is very different. Southampton should face the full force of the law for cheating, and assuming he knew what was going on, Tonda Eckert should be given a significant ban from any role within football.

It's just really sad that such a showpiece occasion has been tainted, but we just have to hope it goes ahead and that City, who have been sensational this season under Sergej Jakirovic, can get the job done. At least some justice would then be done.

Middlesbrough are furious about Spygate, and understandably so. The play-offs are an opportunity to make a return to the Premier League, and the financial reward for doing so is between £120m-£220m.

If the allegations are proven, by spying on a training session two days before the game, Southampton could have gained knowledge of Boro’s bespoke gameplan, set-piece preparation, as well as injury news including whether Championship Player of the Season Hayden Hackney was back in training.

The situation has caused uncertainty and it’s hard not to feel for Hull City supporters, who could end up being hugely inconvenienced by this.

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Ultimately though, a specific rule was created after Leeds United ’s Spygate case that specifically prohibited any team from doing this again. And therefore, for two reasons, if the allegations are proven, the only outcome can be to disqualify Southampton and expel them from the play-offs.

Firstly, if this is proven, they’ve cheated. Plan and simple. They’ll have broken a rule to gain an unfair advantage. Cheating. Cheats cannot be seen to be allowed to win. The integrity of the competition depends on it.

Secondly, the punishment has to both discourage any side from doing this in the future. If the punishment is not severe enough, it risks telling every club who makes the play-offs next season, you might as well cheat. It’s worth the risk because the punishment will be nothing in comparison to that potential reward.

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