Why Southampton spied on Oxford United’s Christmas fixture

Saints have been kicked out of the Championship play-off final and deducted four points next season after being found to have spied on three teams across the 2025/26 campaign.

The St Mary’s side had spied on Matt Bloomfield’s men prior to their Boxing Day fixture earlier this season and were also found to have done the same to Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough.

Boro were spied on ahead of the play-off semi-finals which Southampton went on to win 1-0 on aggregate.

The Teessiders will replace Saints in Saturday’s promotion decider at Wembley against Hull City.

Southampton’s Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Middlesbrough’s Luke Ayling spoken to by referee Andrew Madley (Image: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire)

The south coast club lost an appeal against the decision to remove the club from the play-off final earlier this week and the EFL have since published written reasons in respect of Southampton.

An independent commission who ruled against Saints said: “We have concluded that there was, on the part of the respondent [Southampton], a contrived and determined plan from the top down to gain a competitive advantage in competitions of real significance by deliberate attendance at opposition training grounds for the purpose of obtaining tactical and selection information.

“It involved far more than innocent activity and a particularly deplorable approach in its use of junior members of staff to conduct the clandestine observations at the direction of senior personnel.

READ MORE: Southampton booted from Championship play-offs for ‘Spygate’

READ MORE: EFL in new Southampton update amid Oxford United spying

READ MORE: Oxford United are ‘very capable for League One’ claims Mills

Southampton manager Tonda Eckert (Image: Cody Froggatt/PA Wire)

“There was transmission and internal dissemination and analysis of footage and observations.”

Further findings stated the specific reason for Eckert’s side’s spying on Oxford.

Saints were found to have spied on the Yellows on December 23 and 24 ahead of their trip to the Kassam on Boxing Day.

The U’s had sacked former head coach Gary Rowett on December 23 and were under the leadership of caretaker boss Craig Short for the festive fixture.

The independent panel stated: “[Eckert] also accepted that he had specifically authorised the observations to obtain information about formation (in the OU Incident) and about the availability of a key player (in the MFC Incident).”

Will Lankshear grapples with Saints defender (Image: Mike Allen)

Under a new head coach, there were certainly questions at the time over whether the U’s would change formation after struggling with a back five under Rowett which saw him sacked after the 1-0 away defeat to Charlton Athletic the game prior.

Short then opted for a back four against Southampton which led Oxford to a 2-1 victory despite the now-known spying of the visitors.

Stan Mills scored the late winner after Tyler Goodrham had opened the scoring in the first half.

The Yellows finished 22nd in the table at the end of the season and were relegated to League One.