Gambling powerhouse Paddy Power has taken a lighthearted jab at Southampton's unfolding Spygate 2.0 drama in a new video released hours after Daily Mail Sport shared an exclusive photograph of the intern at the center of the scandal.
The Incident
The Saints' performance analyst intern, William Salt, was captured lurking behind a tree, apparently watching play-off semi-final opponents Middlesbrough's tactical drills at their Rockliffe Training Ground last week. Southampton have since qualified for the Wembley Final to face Hull on May 23, but their participation could yet be in doubt after the EFL charged the south coast club with a breach of the League's rules.
Paddy Power's Parody
As chaos reigns in the fight for Premier League promotion, some are seeing the funny side, with the bookmakers recording a video pretending to share a glimpse of the spy behind the scenes. 'Yeah, I've got visuals on the players,' the 'spy' says in the sketch from concealed behind thick bushes. 'Yeah, they can't see me at all. I'm in a bush. I'm blending in, like bracken.'
Teasingly positing that there was little to learn from watching the training session, with the 'spy' mistaking jogging and quad stretches for secretive in-game tactics, when spotted, he gave a thumbs up before 'changing his position'.
More Mockery
The 'spy' then emerged in the car park dressed as a traffic cone to further blend in, reporting that he had only learned that Boro star Luke Ayling drives a BMW. In reality, Salt did not hide in bushes but shielded himself with a tree in an attempt to seemingly gain an unsporting advantage ahead of Southampton's match-up with the Teesside club. Daily Mail Sport then reported that when spotted, the analyst had run to the nearby golf club and promptly changed his clothes.
But Salt has been further tied to the scene of the scandal after it was revealed that the analyst paid for a coffee at the club, which is owned by Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson.
Wider Implications
The exclusive report by Daily Mail Sport on Wednesday also stressed the possibility of Southampton having spied on other opponents earlier in the season, with one Championship club believing they were spied on after changing manager before playing manager Tonda Eckert's side in December. A whistleblower is understood to have provided a statement supporting the suspicion of Southampton spying on opponents before matches. If proven to be a systemic practice, it would raise serious questions over the futures of senior individuals within the club who sanctioned the tactic.
Eckert cut a downcast figure in his post-match press conference after booking his side's place in the play-off final, as he was overwhelmed by questions about 'spygate'. The 33-year-old German later stormed out amid particularly direct scrutiny when asked: 'Are you a cheat?' Eckert avoided eye contact, looked incredibly uncomfortable, and then immediately left. The Southampton press officer then retorted to Northern Echo's Dominic Shaw, who asked the question, saying: 'Show some respect!'
Kim Hellberg's Boro side will continue training despite their season drawing to a close, with players postponing their holiday until there is a resolution to the case. Pressure has been placed on the EFL to schedule their hearing before the weekend.
