Labour MP makes strong demand to EFL over Spygate saga after Middlesbrough complaints

Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald has questioned the 'respect' shown to Middlesbrough by Southampton amid the Spygate scandal, calling on the EFL to bring swift action against the south coast club. The Labour MP for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East responded on social media following the play-off semi-final, which Boro lost 2-1 at St Mary's after extra time. However, the fixture has been entirely overshadowed by the spying accusations levelled at Southampton , after Boro apprehended an individual thought to be a Southampton employee filming their training session last Thursday - which would breach EFL regulations. Boro manager Kim Hellberg spoke with passion and emotion following Tuesday evening's match about the significance of the incident, and why it affected him so deeply. He said: “I worked 15 years as a coach in terms of trying to get to the Premier League . That’s my dream, for 15 years. JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest news, analysis and much more on Mirror Football's Facebook page "I know there are clubs with bigger resources, there are teams that have more money, there are teams with bigger squads than us. What you have as a coach and as a group is the tactical element of the game, where we can beat opponents. "If we wouldn’t have caught that man that they sent up on a five-hour drive, you would sit there and say, ‘well done (to Southampton) in the tactical aspect of the game’ and I would go home and feel like I had failed. "When someone decides, ‘nah, we’re not going to watch every game, we send someone instead and film the session’, see everything and hope they don’t get caught – I guess that’s why he was switching clothes and everything that I have seen on the television – it breaks my heart in terms of all those things I believe in. “I think that it’s disgraceful. It makes me very sad. If we hadn’t caught that person, I would be sitting here thinking I should have done better things." Tonda Eckert, meanwhile, maintaining a pattern from tense moments in his post-match press conference at the Riverside, left St Mary's after being questioned, 'are you a cheat? Rather than simply responding to the question, the press conference was abruptly terminated, with Southampton press officer Jordan Sibley demanding some 'respect' be shown. Neither he nor Eckert replied when challenged about whether they'd shown Middlesbrough any respect while exiting the room. Writing on X, McDonald MP stated: "Kim Helberg's post-match interview showed his decency, commitment and total integrity. By contrast, the Southampton manager walks out again when asked if he is a cheat. "Remarkable lack of awareness for the club spokesman to respond with 'Have some respect'. What respect did they show to Kim Helberg, his players, to MFC and our fans? "Southampton cannot be allowed to profit from their dishonesty. The EFL have to come down firmly and decisively on Southampton and they need to do it quickly." Join our new WhatsApp community! Click this link to receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.