#Spygate

[sadoldgit]

7 minutes ago, Saint_lambden said:

As of yesterday, a date still hadn’t been set for any independent commission hearing. 

We have until next Thursday to reply so unless something has happened it will not be before then at least and I can’t see it happening until after the final.

[rallyboy]

How is our legal case going against Man United for the Gabbiadini goal ruled offside at Wembley, any updates?

Also the Kevin Friend performance against Liverpool, have we won back that place yet and the millions it cost us?

#itsallbollocks

[Saint Pete]

4 minutes ago, Barry the Badger said:

The thing that I'll be annoyed about if he genuinely was sent by the club isn't so much that we did it, and more how utterly inept the attempt appears to have been. 

I just can't compute THAT being what the club would've expected if they did sent somebody to do some covert surveillance. 

But was the very minor advantage that this action would have achieved (even if done more competently) really worth all this risk and hassle when we surely believe we are a better team than Boro anyway? 

[Sunglasses Ron]

4 minutes ago, rallyboy said:

How is our legal case going against Man United for the Gabbiadini goal ruled offside at Wembley, any updates?

Also the Kevin Friend performance against Liverpool, have we won back that place yet and the millions it cost us?

#itsallbollocks

Don’t forget the Van Dijk tapping up, something that had a very real consequence.

[Saint_lambden]

12 minutes ago, Toadhall Saint said:

And you know this how?

One of Boro's reporters checked with the EFL yesterday morning and that's what he was told. 

[coalman]

26 minutes ago, Nordic Saint said:

Boro owner Steve Gibson has reportedly engaged the services of Nick de Marco, the sports lawyer with a record of delivering results in hearings involving the game's governing bodies.

De Marco was recently heavily involved in making sure Sheffield Wednesday would start next season on zero points, when it seemed certain they would get a 15-point deduction.

This time De Marco would be arguing in favour of a penalty, rather than trying to get one removed.

If Gibson does not get the result he wants with the independent disciplinary commission, matters may not end there.

In 2021, Boro launched legal proceedings against Derby County. They claimed the Rams' financial breaches had cost them a play-off place in 2018-19.

The two parties eventually reached a "resolution", which BBC Sport believes resulted in Boro being paid £2m.

Middlesbrough FC just published their updated organisation chart with a structure which, they believe, allows them to compete for promotion from the Championship this season and beyond. The new club motto is "Either win or lawyers in" apparently.

Edited 6 hours ago by coalman

[badgerx16]

23 minutes ago, Nordic Saint said:

Boro owner Steve Gibson has reportedly engaged the services of Nick de Marco, the sports lawyer with a record of delivering results in hearings involving the game's governing bodies.

De Marco was recently heavily involved in making sure Sheffield Wednesday would start next season on zero points, when it seemed certain they would get a 15-point deduction.

This time De Marco would be arguing in favour of a penalty, rather than trying to get one removed.

If Gibson does not get the result he wants with the independent disciplinary commission, matters may not end there.

In 2021, Boro launched legal proceedings against Derby County. They claimed the Rams' financial breaches had cost them a play-off place in 2018-19.

The two parties eventually reached a "resolution", which BBC Sport believes resulted in Boro being paid £2m.

If that Derby case is precedent then he should be suing his fitness coaches and strikers because they are responsible for Boro missng out on the final.

[Nolan]

5 minutes ago, coalman said:

Middlesbrough FC just published their updated organisation chart with a structure which, they believe, allows them to compete for promotion from the Championship this season and beyond.

I notice nothing in the pyramid for security and fencing.

[Saint NL]

Just now, Nolan said:

I notice nothing in the pyramid for security and fencing.

That's how you know it's accurate

[coalman]

1 minute ago, Nolan said:

I notice nothing in the pyramid for security and fencing.

That would spoil the ambience of his golf club.

[AlexLaw76]

The lawyer thing is probably as accurate as a spy hidden in the bushes with sophisticated recording and listening equipment 

[Turkish]

36 minutes ago, Appy said:

That unbeaten run could go a long way if we’re booted out. 
 

Every cloud. 

I did tell you we'd never lose again.......

[Toadhall Saint]

2 minutes ago, Turkish said:

I did tell you we'd never lose again.......

Did you? When was that then?😉

[Turkish]

Just now, Toadhall Saint said:

Did you? When was that then?😉

Right at the start of our unbeaten run, just sayin' like.....

[die Mannyschaft]

48 minutes ago, Turkish said:

When this has blown over i see a new range of Saints merchandise 

"Dont be Salty" T-shirts & phone cases incoming 

Toilet blocked? Call Boro they can fix anything.

[Turkish]

3 minutes ago, die Mannyschaft said:

Toilet blocked? Call Boro they can fix anything.

Unsure of transaction on your bank statement? Come to 'Boro, we know where you're spending....

[Saint NL]

Now this is a good spy video. 

 

 

[Willo of Whiteley]

There are some absolute fannies on here today 😂

[Whitey Grandad]

Just now, Willo of Whiteley said:

There are some absolute fannies on here today 😂

Just today?

[skintsaint]

Just now, Willo of Whiteley said:

There are some absolute fannies on here today 😂

Just today? 

[die Mannyschaft]

Looks like Boro have been successful in kicking out Keir Starmer from the Political Championship leaque. MPs now spying on each other.

[maxi_sopez]

What can’t Will Salt spy on. Great pep exclusive! 

[badgerx16]

If this is Boro's response to a slight bending of the rules, maybe it's a good idea if they stay out of the Prem; what with City, Chelsea, Everton, Newcastle Villa, and all the other clubs with alleged dodgy fiinances. There could be a lawsuit every week.

[Gary R76]

55 minutes ago, Fela said:

Isn't there a Boro Board member on the EFL board?

Is it possible he is driving a Boro agenda from the inside?

IE, delay ticket details, KO times as long as possible to give Boro every chance to appeal/ influence.

There is , hence why it goes to an independent panel . EFL  has no say on the punishment as far as i know 

[skintsaint]

1 minute ago, Gary R76 said:

There is , hence why it goes to an independent panel . EFL  has no say on the punishment as far as i know 

I thought the panel finds it guilty or not, then the EFL dish the penalty?

[Wurzel]

15 minutes ago, Willo of Whiteley said:

There are some absolute fannies on here today 😂

Christ, where? I haven't got over the sexy nuns on last seasons matchday threads yet

[Mr X]

I think this was all designed to disrupt the club and borough whipped the media into a frenzy....

The sad thing is I think this will fire up hull to victory and they will win for everyone that thinks we are cheats....

If we are guilty and it's a big if, the peson/persons responsible for the terrible decision to take the risk need to go ASAP 

Edited 5 hours ago by Mr X

[Saint Scott]

Also reporting a likely kick off time of 16:00/16:30

Edited 5 hours ago by Saint Scott
KO Time

[Stripey McStripe Shirt]

11 minutes ago, Mr X said:

I think this was all designed to disrupt the club and borough whipped the media into a frenzy....

The sad thing is I think this will fire up hull to victory and they will win for everyone that thinks we are cheats....

If we are guilty and it's a big if, the peson/persons responsible for the terrible decision to take the risk need to go ASAP 

Didn't people say that about the Boro game?

[Farmer Saint]

15 minutes ago, Mr X said:

I think this was all designed to disrupt the club and borough whipped the media into a frenzy....

The sad thing is I think this will fire up hull to victory and they will win for everyone that thinks we are cheats....

If we are guilty and it's a big if, the peson/persons responsible for the terrible decision to take the risk need to go ASAP 

Hull aren't going to be extra-motivated because we spied on Boro - behave.

Edited 5 hours ago by Farmer Saint

[Oisin]

7 minutes ago, Saint Scott said:

Also reporting a likely kick off time of 16:00/16:30

My hunch is we’re playing for the full 14 days (as is our right) and EFL want to expedite (of course they do, it’s urgent) so they’re trying to force the issue by pretending they can simply delay things if we behave unhelpfully.

which is fine, only all the pressure is on the EFL here and it’s all of their own doing for not having a proper punishment agreed for the alleged offence

Theres a World Cup soon and “the richest game in football” to organise. They don’t have the time. I sympathise with our (and especially in the circumstances) Hulls fans as it’s a sh1t show, but it’s the EFLs fault.

And quite frankly if we’re not getting thrown out anyway (which let’s be honest would be a grossly OTT sanction that has no precedent and would cost them millions in litigation which they’d clearly lose) then they may as well declare it now rather than try to look serious and tough for the press to cover the fact their rules and organisation failings have created an total shambolic mess.

We just have to sit and wait. Annoying as ut is, we just have to crack on and assume BAU

[kwsaint]

14 minutes ago, Saint Scott said:

Also reporting a likely kick off time of 16:00/16:30

Genuinely can’t see them moving the date. When is Wembley next free before the World Cup?

[LiberalCommunist]

9 minutes ago, Mr X said:

I think this was all designed to disrupt the club and borough whipped the media into a frenzy....

The sad thing is I think this will fire up hull to victory and they will win for everyone that thinks we are cheats....

If we are guilty and it's a big if, the peson/persons responsible for the terrible decision to take the risk need to go ASAP 

Agree. Someone clearly couldn't imagine the shit storm this could create, but that is no excuse, decisions were made, and a price will be paid. I do think the spying was a one off, and I also think the real reason behind it was a Hackney injury update. Afterall, we knew how they were going to set up, we had plenty of legal scouting evidence for that in the cabinet already.

But heads need to roll for the decision that was made. It has nearly* derailed a whole season. We don't know just how much damage it has done. 

And many on here feel its a storm in a tea cup, and other football clubs have done worse. Well, its already nearly knocked us out of the play offs with the disruption it has caused, but it has definitely made Hulls job easier as of right now. 

If that's a fanny comment, I'll accept it. 

[hypochondriac]

All these journalists are very annoying. Just because nothing has been ruled out doesn't mean that a particular course of action is in any way likely to happen. I haven't ruled out winning the lottery and running off with Sydney Sweeney but it doesn't mean it's going to happen. 

[Dman]

15 minutes ago, Saint Scott said:

Also reporting a likely kick off time of 16:00/16:30

Moving it will not happen.

There isn't a feasible slot, unless they decided to play it midweek which would cost millions in lost revenue.

[Dman]

3 minutes ago, kwsaint said:

Genuinely can’t see them moving the date. When is Wembley next free before the World Cup?

Other than mid-week, its not. 

Its not just wembley who'd have to agree, the police etc would as well. 

will not be moved. 

[saintant]

Boro lawyers have obviously told Gibbo, their manager, staff and local journos to SFTU because nothing is being leaked today. Clearly they realise they've already probably damaged their own case by shooting their mouths off at every opportunity to try to whip up support for us to be kicked out.

Edited 5 hours ago by saintant

[hypochondriac]

If anyone seriously thinks they will even contemplate moving the final at this stage then you're clinically insane. 

Edited 5 hours ago by hypochondriac

[Tom57]

4 minutes ago, kwsaint said:

Genuinely can’t see them moving the date. When is Wembley next free before the World Cup?

It's not. The three playoff games are on the bank holiday weekend 23-25th May. The rugby has it booked on 30th May then the world cup starts 11/6. I guess they could swap the dates for the Championship and league 2 playoffs but that only gives them 2 extra days

[SadButTrue]

The later the hearings are postponed, the better it is for us. If the news is true and the case will now be handled within 24 hours, I fear the worst. Right now, everything points to us not being in the final. The tickets would already be on sale if everything were clear. With more than a week left, the team could still easily be changed. In addition, if we lose the Tonda and Spors for a long time, it does not sound good.

[hypochondriac]

Let's do a thought experiment and imagine they announce they are kicking us out tomorrow. We obviously won't just allow that to happen and will be sending lawyers in to contest it left right and centre. As @Miltonaggro alluded to, we will be applying for all sorts of injunctions and court petitions and they absolutely won't just be able to do that without consequence. This is the real world and the efl will know this. 

[hypochondriac]

1 minute ago, SadButTrue said:

The later the hearings are postponed, the better it is for us. If the news is true and the case will now be handled within 24 hours, I fear the worst. Right now, everything points to us not being in the final. The tickets would already be on sale if everything were clear. With more than a week left, the team could still easily be changed. In addition, if we lose the Tonda and Spors for a long time, it does not sound good.

We simply won't accept any move to remove us from the final lying down. They can't just remove us tomorrow if that's what they decide and the that's the end of the matter and Middlesbrough end up at Wembley. 

[Willo of Whiteley]

If anyone thinks Boro are going to Wembley instead of us - give your head a wobble and try and fathom (I know it’s hard) just try and fathom the legal issues that would then have to happen:

Do Boro get a bye?

A punishment for us shouldn’t mean a reward for them?

Hull kicking up a stink that they’ve had to qualify?

Wrexham angry that they should be reinstated?

Millwall should get a free hit at the final because effectively Boro do?

Saints case arguments then include the legality of it all?

Potential GDPR breaches of the individuals spending/banking?

Costs of income lost?

And then we come to the EFL, moving from Wembley, changing venue, rearranging the date, the police have to sign off on that.

Fan loss of money

 

Read the above and then try and convince me we’re being kicked out the play offs. 😂

[LegalEagle]

4 minutes ago, SadButTrue said:

The later the hearings are postponed, the better it is for us. If the news is true and the case will now be handled within 24 hours, I fear the worst. Right now, everything points to us not being in the final. The tickets would already be on sale if everything were clear. With more than a week left, the team could still easily be changed. In addition, if we lose the Tonda and Spors for a long time, it does not sound good.

Behave. Nothing points to us not being in the final.

[SWLondon Saint]

*Apologies,giant post* I thought the whole 'circulating his bank card details to make a paper trail' thing sounded very odd from a data protection pov, so did a bit of AI research. Far likelier they'll have asked other clubs to look through their CCTV for spies, which wouldn't break data protection, but obviously is far, far more laborious and I doubt clubs on their holidays would be arsed.

----------

The ICO takes a very dim view of "private investigations" that involve the misuse of personal data. They have a long track record of prosecuting both organizations and individuals who treat private databases as their own personal detective kits.

To answer your question directly: Yes, the ICO has taken aggressive action for similar breaches. They have established that there is no "vigilante exemption" to the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018.

1. Precedent for "Vigilante" Data Misuse

The ICO has frequently prosecuted individuals under Section 170 of the DPA 2018 (unlawful obtaining/disclosure of data).

• The "Curious Employee" Cases: There are dozens of examples where employees at banks, GP surgeries, or police stations have been prosecuted for looking up data on "people of interest" (such as ex-partners or neighbors) without a professional need.

• The "Rogue Private Investigator" Prosecutions: The ICO has previously targeted private investigators who used "blagging" or unauthorized access to obtain financial and phone records. They have made it clear that even if you believe you are exposing a "wrong," you cannot break data laws to do so.

2. Purpose Limitation: The Hotel vs. The Club

One of the core principles of GDPR is Purpose Limitation.

• The Marriott Precedent: While the Marriott/Starwood fine (£18.4 million) was for a security breach, the ICO's commentary focused heavily on the sanctity of guest data.

• The Boro Scenario: If Rockliffe Hall (the hotel) collected card data for a room booking or a coffee, that data's "purpose" is strictly for that transaction. Using it to assist a football club's disciplinary investigation is a textbook breach. The ICO has previously fined organizations for sharing customer lists with third parties without explicit consent; sharing specific financial transaction data is considered far more severe.

3. Financial Data is "High Risk"

The ICO distinguishes between "standard" personal data and data that can cause significant harm or distress.

• Financial transaction history is categorized as high-risk.

• In cases like Dixons Carphone or British Airways, the ICO issued massive fines because card data was compromised. While those were hacks, the legal principle remains: the controller has a duty to protect that data from any unauthorized access. Allowing a football club's security team to browse hotel card logs is, by definition, a failure of that duty.

4. Criminal vs. Civil Action

In cases like this, the ICO usually pursues two paths:

1. Against the Organization: A monetary penalty notice (fine) for the "systemic failure" of letting the data be misused.

2. Against the Individual: Criminal prosecution for the specific person who accessed or shared the data.

A Notable Example: In 2023, the ICO prosecuted an individual (Asif Iqbal Khan) who took photos of computer screens containing customer data to use for personal gain/investigation. He was fined and given a criminal record.

Why this matters for the 'Spygate' case

If Middlesbrough has truly circulated William Salt’s financial "paper trail" to other clubs, they have essentially created a "blacklist" supported by illegally obtained financial data.

In the eyes of the ICO, the "spying" is a sports-governance issue, but the financial data sharing is a public protection issue. If the ICO decides to make an example of this, they wouldn't just look at a fine; they would look at whether the individuals involved in the data transfer committed a criminal offence.

It creates a fascinating legal standoff: Southampton could be punished for a "sporting" crime, while Middlesbrough could be investigated for a "statutory" crime.

Edited 5 hours ago by SWLondon Saint
Formatting

[EBS1980]

On 13/05/2026 at 12:29, Turkish said:

Even that fat prick James Corden spouting off saying if we go up we should give 50% of our revenue to Middesborough absolutely bonkers 😂

Edited 5 hours ago by EBS1980
Wrong message

[trousers]

1 hour ago, Saint_lambden said:

One of Boro's reporters checked with the EFL yesterday morning and that's what he was told. 

An unreliable source then...

[EBS1980]

Imagine if Boro got fined for the gdpr breach and it was more than a fine we got for spying haha

[Dman]

7 minutes ago, SadButTrue said:

The later the hearings are postponed, the better it is for us. If the news is true and the case will now be handled within 24 hours, I fear the worst. Right now, everything points to us not being in the final. The tickets would already be on sale if everything were clear. With more than a week left, the team could still easily be changed. In addition, if we lose the Tonda and Spors for a long time, it does not sound good.

Absolutely nothing points to that other than what a few jurnos who are being fed PR by boro are saying. 

[SadButTrue]

2 minutes ago, LegalEagle said:

Behave. Nothing points to us not being in the final.

My apologies. I just don’t like this whole situation. It’s stupid to end up in a situation like this at the most important moment of the season.