{"id":950312,"date":"2026-05-10T11:24:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T11:24:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/950312\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T11:24:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T11:24:26","slug":"luke-ayling-gives-tongue-in-cheek-response-as-ex-leeds-favourite-involved-in-spygate-2-0","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/950312\/","title":{"rendered":"Luke Ayling gives tongue-in-cheek response as ex-Leeds favourite involved in spygate 2.0"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Middlesbrough's<\/p>\n

Credit: Sky Sports<\/p>\n

\"James <\/p>\n

Sun 10 May 2026 9:40, UK <\/p>\n

Luke Ayling decided to \u201cplead the fifth\u201d when asked about his experience of Leeds United<\/a>\u2018s 2019 spygate incident.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 34-year-old was part of Marcelo Bielsa<\/a>\u2018s Leeds squad during the 2018-19 season, during which the original spygate drama began.<\/p>\n

Bielsa admitted to sending a spy to watch Derby County\u2019s training session in the lead up to a match between the two sides in January 2019.<\/p>\n

He also confessed to commissioning a member of staff to watch every team Leeds played that season train, and were subsequently fined \u00a3200,000 by the EFL after breaching \u201cgood faith\u201d rules.<\/p>\n

Ayling and Leeds lost to Derby in the play-off semi-finals<\/a> that same season, and seven years later, the former Whites star has been caught up in another spygate scandal, this time with Middlesbrough.<\/p>\n

\u26bdLeeds United match day \u26bd <\/p>\n

Team news, line-ups, expert previews and tactical analysis for every Leeds United fixture<\/strong><\/p>\n

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What Luke Ayling said when asked about Leeds spygate incident<\/p>\n

Southampton are embroiled in spygate 2.0<\/a>, after one of their members of staff was alleged to have been caught filming Middlesbrough\u2019s training session on Thursday, 48 hours before the two sides met in the play-off semi-final first leg.<\/p>\n

Boro allege the supposed Saints spy to be a first-team analyst, and was confronted after being spotted allegedly filming their training session on his mobile phone whilst wearing earphones.<\/p>\n\nLeeds 2019 spygate timeline<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nLeeds staff member found acting suspiciously outside Derby training ground Jan 2019 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nBielsa admits to spying mission on Derby and other teams<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nEFL find Leeds to have breached \u201cgood faith\u201d rules<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nLeeds fined \u00a3200,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Southampton have now been charged by the EFL relating to regulation 3.4, which requires Clubs to act towards each other in good faith.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve also been charged over regulation 127, which prohibits Clubs from observing, or attempting to observe, another\u2019s training session within 72 hours of a scheduled game between the two clubs.<\/p>\n

The incident has stolen the headlines in the EFL over the past few days, and now Middlesbrough defender Ayling has seen both sides of the spygate coin.<\/p>\n

Speaking in a post-match interview with Sky Sports after Boro\u2019s semi-final first leg with Saints, Ayling was asked about his experience of being on both sides of a spygate incident, but the ex-Leeds defender didn\u2019t want to give much away about it.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlead the fifth. I don\u2019t know nothing about that first time,\u201d Ayling joked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe players don\u2019t know nothing about that. That\u2019s a coaching staff thing. That\u2019s got nothing to do with the players.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why Southampton spygate is more serious than Leeds\u2019<\/p>\n

At the time of Leeds\u2019 original spygate drama in 2019, the EFL had no set rule that explicitly prohibited Clubs from observing another team\u2019s training session before a game.<\/p>\n

As such, the Whites were given a relative slap on the wrist with their \u00a3200,000 fine, but it was a watershed moment, as it prompted the EFL to bring in hard rules to hopefully prevent another similar incident in the future.<\/p>\n

So, now that we\u2019re here again with Southampton allegedly sending an analyst to observe Middlesbrough\u2019s session 48 hours before their match, this incident is considerably more serious.<\/p>\n

\n

Middlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg used the term \u201ccheat\u201d when asked about a member of Southampton\u2019s staff being caught at Boro\u2019s training ground on Thursday morning, just 48 hours before the Championship play-off semi-final between the two clubs.<\/p>\n

Southampton were charged on\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/yfafAgLUdO<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) May 9, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

View Tweet<\/p>\n

Premier League promotion is worth a minimum of \u00a3200m of income to football clubs, and so with this spying incident allegedly taking place ahead of the play-offs as opposed to a regular season game makes it additionally serious too.<\/p>\n

Many Boro fans and even some pundits are calling for Southampton to be thrown out of the play-offs if found guilty, as Middlesbrough will surely feel that a fine wouldn\u2019t wash for them.<\/p>\n

If found guilty, Boro will rightly feel that their preparation and chances of winning the play-offs have been damaged, and thus, would have every right to feel as though they need to be personally compensated in some form.<\/p>\n