Middlesbrough have called for Southampton to be kicked out of the Championship play-off final

Middlesbrough said the “only appropriate response” is if Southampton are found guilty of a probe into the south coast club’s exit from the Championship final.

Middlesbrough officials allegedly caught a Southampton worker secretly filming their training session 48 hours before the first leg of their semi final last Saturday.

Boro staff reportedly saw the man, who has been identified as a Saints commentator, watching from the public area overlooking their Rockliffe Park base.

The Saints won the second leg 2-1 after extra time in midweek to book their place in the final against Hull City, a match which could reportedly cost the winner £200million.

That game, which was scheduled for May 23, is now in doubt after the EFL announced an Independent Disciplinary Commission hearing is scheduled for Tuesday. If Southampton are found guilty then there are a number of penalties that could be handed down.

Boro believe it’s simple and explained their case for the Saints’ relegation in a statement this afternoon.

It read: “Middlesbrough FC notes the Disciplinary Commission’s decision not to allow the club to intervene in proceedings brought by the EFL against Southampton FC.

“The group regrets that result, as we are directly involved in the issues under consideration and we have tangible evidence of the events in question and their impact on competition.

“The conduct in question, namely the surveillance and recording of our training session before such an important match, goes to the heart of sporting integrity and fair competition. In these circumstances, the only appropriate response is a sporting penalty which would prevent Southampton FC from participating in the EFL Championship final.”

Middlesbrough are threatening legal action

Middlesbrough also indicated that legal action will be taken if the matter is not resolved satisfactorily.

The statement concluded: “We remain hopeful that the EFL, as regulator, will pursue such sanctions before the Disciplinary Commission to protect the integrity of the game, protect all member clubs, and prevent any future attempt to gain an unfair and illegal advantage to pursue promotion to the Premier League.”

“The party reserves all its legal rights.”

What do Middlesbrough and Southampton managers say?

Middlesbrough manager Kim Hellberg was devastated when he spoke after his team’s exit.

“I worked for 15 years as a coach, trying to reach the Premier League,” he told the press conference after the match.

“If you go home to your family and say, ‘no, I’m not coming home, I’m going to watch some Southampton games because I need to see them’, and you’re going to be in the play-offs… here’s the thing.

If we hadn’t caught that man they sent, five hours to drive, you’d be sitting here and saying, ‘well done on the tactical side of the game’, and then I’d go home feeling like I failed to fix my players.

“If that is taken away from you in that way, when someone decides, ‘we will not watch all the games, we will send someone in his place and record the session and see everything’, and hopefully they will not be caught, I think that’s why he was changing clothes and all these things – I can say it because I know it happened.

“It breaks my heart for all the things I believe in.

“It’s my feelings about it. I think it’s disgraceful. It makes me very sad.”

Meanwhile, Southampton coach Tonda Eckert walked out of the press conference following his side’s win after being asked: “Are you a cheater?”

Southampton, however, launched an internal review.

Their chief executive, Phil Parsons, said in a statement released on Tuesday: “The club is co-operating fully with the EFL and the disciplinary commission, and is also carrying out an internal review to ensure all the facts and context are understood.”

“Due to the tight schedule and the short transition between games, we have asked for time to complete that process carefully and responsibly. We understand the discussion and speculation that has followed in recent days, but we also believe it is important to establish the full context before a conclusion is reached.”