Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert walks out of press conference after being asked 'are you a cheat?' as Middlesbrough's Kim Hellberg hits out
Published 13/05/2026 at 08:34 GMT+1
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Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert dramatically walked out of another press conference after he was "are you a cheat?" by a reporter amid allegations of spying.
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The English Football League has charged Southampton with spying on Middlesbrough before the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final.
It is alleged that a Southampton performance analyst recorded a Middlesbrough training session and took photos of their tactics. Southampton have confirmed they are launching an internal review into the allegations.
An emotional Middlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg said the incident was "disgraceful" after the Saints claimed a 2-1 second leg victory on Tuesday night, for a 2-1 aggregate win and a place in the Championship play-off final against Hull City.
It was a night full of tension on the south coast and it was little surprise that the drama continued beyond the final whistle.
A journalist asked Eckert, "are you a cheat?", which prompted him to immediately leave the press conference.
This mirrored the scenes after Saturday's first leg in the North East, when Eckert walked out of his press conference after questions about the alleged incident.
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Kim Hellberg and Tonda Eckert have tense words on the touchline during Tuesday's clash on the south coast
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Separately, Eckert was interviewed by the BBC and said: "We've managed well to not let this distract the team but we take the matter very seriously.
"It's not easy for me but the club has made another statement and since it is an ongoing investigation there is not more to add. I will say something, just not now."
Hellberg was close to tears when he spoke to reporters after the game.
”We will see what happens. First thing is that I want to congratulate the Southampton players. They’ve done brilliantly," Hellberg said.
”To their supporters, they haven’t been a part of this. They need to be congratulated and happy for their team. I want to say that to them. I think they deserve it. They fought very well.
"If we wouldn’t have caught that man, you would sit there and say, ‘Well done in the tactical aspect of the game.’ And I would go home and feel like I have failed in that aspect that I had to help my players with.
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”When that is taken away from you in that way, when someone decides, ‘No, we’re not gonna watch every game, we will send someone instead’ and they film the session and see everything and hope they don't get caught.
”I don’t care if there’s different rules in other countries. This is England. I think this is where football is the biggest thing. That’s my feelings about it. I think that is disgraceful to a colleague who you work against. It makes me very sad.”
Reports suggest that among the potential punishments for Southampton could be elimination from the play-offs.
The tie on the pitch was decided by a 116th-minute winning goal from Shea Charles, a cross which evaded Boro derfenders and crept into the net.
Hull booked their place in the final on Monday, winning 2-0 at Millwall following a scoreless first leg.
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