The story gripping the footballing world right now is Spygate, but what happened?
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The Clare Byrne Show on Newstalk. With Aviva Insurance.
Well, the story gripping the football world right now is Spygate. And for those who don't know, last Thursday, Championship side Middlesbrough spotted a spy recording their training session from afar ahead of the two legs of the playoff semi-final against Southampton. Now, despite being subsequently knocked out by Southampton on Tuesday night, Middlesbrough are pursuing a case with the English Football League to have their opponents expelled from the playoff final next weekend. And yesterday, the spy at the centre of this storm was identified. Well, to chat through all of this with me, I'm joined by John Bruin of The Guardian. Hello, John.
Hello, Clare.
What is Spygate and why is it significant in football?
Good morning.
How are you? This is a great story, isn't it? Hiding behind a tree with this little camera.
It's fantastic stuff, isn't it? Subterfuge podcast. We English love a spy story, don't we? Who's the most famous Englishman? Probably James Bond. Now, spying in football has gone on before. I do recall a story from the 1990 World Cup where Bobby Robson and Gary Lineker spotted a Cameroon spy was watching Gary Lineker take the penalties. So Bobby Robson advised Gary Lineker to put them in one direction and And then in the actual game, he put them in the other direction. So this, but there are rules on this now. And that follows from an incident back in 2019 when Leeds had a manager, an Argentinian manager, Marcello Bielsa, who said that spying was quite common in Argentinian football. It happened all the time.
How did Middlesbrough react to the spying incident?
But his, he sent a mystery up to watch Derby County. This caused an enormous stink between the two clubs. There's still bad blood between them. And so, Leeds were fined and then the rules were introduced that you're not allowed to watch the opposition train within 72 hours. But this young man, William Salt, an intern, not even a full-time employee.
Oh, he's an intern.
Yes, yes. Poor William. Yeah. Well, he's a resourceful young man, we could say that. And he was sent up to Middlesbrough for...
Who is the spy at the center of the controversy?
The initial reports were that he'd used high-tech recording equipment, which produced all sorts of images, but actually he was using an iPhone. And there was talk that he'd camouflaged himself in a bush, but actually he just changed his clothes, I think.
Will you talk us through that, like how exactly he was caught? Because that in itself is a great story.
Well, yeah, I believe that someone got onto him and he disappeared for a bit and then came out of a toilet and he changed his clothes. And then, of course, there is a photo of him with this iPhone. Now, the initial reports of camouflage had meant that a few Southampton fans wore camo gear during the actual game being played to mock Middlesbrough. Now, I suppose the joke's on the other side of the face right now. Yeah, and the other thing is that perhaps young William Salt is not particularly resourceful because Steve Gibson, a long-time Middlesbrough owner, happens to own a hotel just near that training ground and he went in and bought a coffee on his... on his debit card, which of course identified him.
William!
He needed some spy training before he took this job or took on this task. So what happens now? Because Middlesbrough want Southampton expelled on foot of this, don't they?
Yes, they do, yeah. And as a result of that, they're keeping training in the hope that this goes their way. There is a suggestion that a ruling will be made if not today, then tomorrow, because the games, the playoff final, a game, which is worth 200 million pounds to the, to the winning club. And even the losing club gets the gate receipts from that game. So it's pretty valuable, but whichever way it's played out is next Saturday. Now, Middlesbrough to Wembley is, is a hell of a distance and it's all got to be arranged. It's a real problem for the EFL, but there's so much in football these days and, I've been at the game a long time. A lot appears to get played out in the law courts, doesn't it? And, you know, high-profile lawyers getting involved.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–0:48
2
What is Spygate and why is it significant in football?
0:48–1:47
3
How did Middlesbrough react to the spying incident?
1:47–2:23
4
Who is the spy at the center of the controversy?
2:23–5:19
5
What are the historical precedents for spying in football?
5:19–8:30
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from The Claire Byrne Show
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