THE Independent Disciplinary Commission hearing into the ‘Spygate’ scandal is due to take place tomorrow, with a judgement set to be released at the earliest possible opportunity.
A three-person panel will rule on allegations that a Southampton employee spied on a Middlesbrough training session ahead of the first leg of the play-off semi-final.
The EFL have charged Southampton with breaching two of their regulations, the first of which requires clubs to act towards each other with “the utmost good faith” and the second of which explicitly prohibits clubs from “observing or attempting to observe” a training session “within 72 days of a scheduled match between the two clubs”.
The independent commission can impose a number of potential penalties if Southampton are found guilty, ranging from a fine at one end of the scale to expulsion from the play-offs at the other.
Middlesbrough issued a statement on Friday spelling out their position, which is that if Southampton are found guilty of breaking the EFL’s rules, “the only appropriate response is a sporting sanction which would prevent Southampton FC from participating in the EFL Championship play-off final”.
In ordinary circumstances, it could take an independent commission up to a fortnight to publish their judgement along with the written explanations for their findings.
Given that the Championship play-off final is due to take place on Saturday, though, the hope is that the verdict in this case will be issued much more quickly than that.
The judgement will initially be delivered to the two legal teams involved in the case, before being more widely released.
Both the EFL, who are effectively mounting a case on Middlesbrough’s behalf, and Southampton, as the defending party, have a right of appeal against the judgement. An appeal would almost certainly mean that Saturday's final would have to be rescheduled.
Middlesbrough’s players and coaching staff were given time off at the weekend, with head coach Kim Hellberg having made a brief return to his homeland in Sweden with his family.
However, Hellberg was back at Rockliffe Park today with his coaches and the whole of Boro’s first-team squad to continue their preparations for a possible appearance in the play-off final against Hull City.
A training schedule has been planned for the rest of week, but can easily be adapted if the EFL are forced to postpone Saturday’s game and rearrange it for an alternative date and/or venue.
While the current uncertainty is far from ideal, senior Boro figures are confident the club’s players will be ready and prepared for whatever is asked of them if they are reinstated into the play-offs and Southampton are expelled.
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