Kayley

When an #LUFC employee was found on a public footpath outside Derby’s training ground, the ‘spygate’ scandal was the main football story for weeks. Leeds’ manager at the time - Marcelo Bielsa - was accused of not respecting English customs and culture. One after another, pundits came out against Marcelo, from TalkSport to Sky to the papers. Aware of the enormous backlash, Bielsa called an impromptu press conference. Some people thought he might be resigning, or that he was sacked - such was the furore in the media that had been whipped up against him. Instead, he admitted that Leeds had spied on every opponent that season; and then went on to give a PowerPoint presentation on all the information he had gathered on Frank Lampard’s Derby County. There was no specific rule Leeds broke so the EFL fined Leeds £200,000 for a crime against the spirit of the game. The spirit of football can be found - in case you’re wondering - tucked neatly under the layers of agents, betting sponsorships, state-funded sports-washing and dynamic priced tourist tickets. Bielsa payed the fine himself. The EFL subsequently brought in an ‘anti-espionage’ rule to stop clubs watching opponents train 72 hours before games. Now that Middlesbrough have reportedly contacted the EFL after finding a Southampton spy watching them train ahead of the playoff semi-final, I look forward to the backlash. I wonder if Southampton will face the same scrutiny and criticism that #LUFC and Bielsa did? I wonder if Southampton will be fined, and if they are fined, I wonder if their manager Tonda Eckert would pay it himself? The spygate scandal is unique no longer, but I doubt it will be the same.