Southampton bus met with hostile reception at Middlesbrough as fans poke fun at ‘Spygate 2.0’

Fans poked fun at the ‘Spygate 2.0’ saga by bringing binoculars to their Championship play-off semi-final between Middlesbrough and Southampton at the Riverside. 

Controversy struck this week when one of the Saints’ analysts was caught spying on Boro’s players just days before today’s first-leg clash.

It was claimed the staff member was spotted in the bushes at Middlesbrough‘s training ground earlier in the week.

The saga then escalated on Friday, as the EFL charged Southampton for a breach of their regulations.

Tasty affair

Boro’s fans had plenty to say on recent events as gameday rolled around at the Riverside.

As Southampton’s team bus arrived at the stadium, the Middlesbrough faithful gathered outside in their numbers to give them a hostile welcome.

They chanted: “You cheating b*******, we know what you are.”

And kick-off proved just as eventful, as fans poked fun at the saga.

Cameras panned to Middlesbrough fans holding up binoculars in the stands in reference to their opponents’ recent exploits.

One went a step further, with a creative young Boro fan even bringing a tree branch with them to hammer home the joke.

In fact, both sets of supporters appeared amused by the drama, as a Southampton fan was seen mimicking the use of binoculars. 

Saints fans joined in on things too, as they could be heard chanting: “We’ll spy when we want.”

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Spygate 2.0?

This week’s saga will feel like deja vu for many, as it is almost an identical case to the infamous ‘Spygate’ saga in 2019.

A similar incident occurred prior to a match between Leeds United and Derby County in January 2019.

Then Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa admitted to instructing a colleague to spy on the Rams’ training.

His side were subsequently fined £200,000 by the EFL after admitting to breaches of their rules.

And Southampton could soon find themselves subject to the same punishment if they are found guilty by the independent commission.

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