RE: https://ext.sportsbots.xyz/users/46143892/statuses/2061719449464352870

I didn't expect them to stick to Eckert, but it seems #Spygate and the punishment Southampton received may create an us-against-the-world mentality.

In one of the crazier stories of this season, Southampton lost their place in the Championship playoff final due to #Spygate.

The man responsible for it was pretty much unknown only a year ago.

So who is Tonda Eckert? (w/@[email protected])

https://www.thetimes.com/article/b77674a6-9987-4ea7-b737-7892034a9f9c

Can You Hear Me, Rishi Sunak?
(To the tune of My Back Pages)

I grew up with football dreams of back-page headline fame
'Til I was taken to one side before a vital game
He said "we have to let you go -- Le Tissier you ain't"
So I pursued a new career of spying for the Saints

We knew it was against the rules, they've punished teams before
But the chance of some advantage was too tempting to ignore
"Act in the utmost good faith," we found it sort of quaint
And nothing that would stop a man from spying for the Saints

My excuse for watching training, where I wasn't hard to catch
Was: it's tedious enough watching Boro play a match
"I'd rather watch the touchline, and observe the drying paint"
For all that, they still seemed to think I was spying for the Saints

We tried to say they imagined it, a case of paranoia
Sadly they weren't buying it, and referred me to their lawyer
They had me bang to rights, you know, they made a fair complaint
I'm going to need a new career, not spying for the Saints

The harshness of the punishment left all of Southampton shocked
Booted from the playoffs, four future league points docked
It always pays to heed the rules and follow their constraints
There's such a heavy price to pay for spying for the Saints

#spygate

Middlesbrough's lawyers say Southampton should forfeit their semi-final match and allow Boro to progress to the final with Hull City. Hull's lawyer says Middlesbrough have already been eliminated, and Southampton's expulsion means they should be promoted automatically. Lawyers from Wrexham claim that Southampton should forfeit their play-off place and they should play a new semi-final against Middlesbrough. Southampton's lawyers say they only cheated a little bit and don't deserve to be excluded at all.

The permutations got a bit complicated to follow, so I've designed a wall-chart so you can keep track.

They call the play-off final the £200 million match, and that's just the legal fees.

#spygate

Beyond losing their play-off final spot, Southampton face a points deduction and potential player sales following the spying controversy. The Saints’ expulsion over a spying row means a new Championship play-off final lineup, with Hull and Middlesbrough now contesting promotion...

#EFLPlayOffs #SpyGate #Southampton #Football #efl #footballnewsanddupdates #hullcity #middlesbrough #footballnews

https://www.mondiaries.com/2026/05/championship-play-off-final-southampton.html

Ole Werner, current RB Leipzig manager, recently said about methods when opponents changed their manager before a game: "We sometimes sent out people to hide in the bushes or use a drone from a great distance – but with varying degrees of success I have to say."

Such methods are not prohibited in the Bundesliga and other leagues. But Tonda Eckert should have known about the EFL rules. #Spygate #Southampton