Southampton coach charged... over spying scandal

London (AFP) – Southampton manager Thomas Frank has been charged by the English Football Association in connection with the spying scandal that led to his team’s exclusion from the playoff final for promotion to the English Premier League.

In a case that rocked English football last season, Southampton admitted to spying on a training session of their semi-final opponent, Middlesbrough, in May. The club also spied on training sessions of Ipswich and Oxford United, their rivals in the second-tier Championship, earlier in the season.

After defeating Middlesbrough in the semi-final, Southampton were excluded from the final against Hull City and handed a four-point deduction for the 2026-2027 season.

The financial cost to Southampton was steep, as promotion to the Premier League is valued at approximately £200 million.