The drama around Spygate 2.0 continues to rumble on.
Indeed, it feels like a lifetime ago now since the first revelations dropped surrounding a Southampton analyst spying on Middlesbrough training, but that original bombshell discovery only occurred on the 7th of May, when it was first unveiled to the public by Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope.
Since then, Tonda Eckert's men have overcome Boro over two legs to reach the Championship playoff final, but nobody is any the wiser as to what the Saints' punishment will be, with the most severe penalty seeing them be kicked out of the playoffs.
When will Southampton's penalty be decided?
When Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds United were found guilty of similar tactics of prying in 2019, the Whites were only fined.
This time around, it does appear as if the South Coast club will be disciplined with more force, with an independent hearing set to take place around the date of May 19th, just four days before the playoff final is set to be held at Wembley between Eckert and Co, and their forgotten final opponents, Hull City.
With Middlesbrough revealed to be back in training for May 18th, there is a very real possibility that the Saints will be dumped out of the playoffs altogether if they're found guilty of spying.
This has made the selling of tickets for Saturday's potential final a bit of a nightmare, and for fans of both the Tigers and the Saints, their support of their beloved teams is very much becoming secondary to the media circus surrounding Spygate.
Fans of both Hull and Southampton are being forgotten about
In all this mess, Hull have definitely been pushed to one side as an overlooked party.
Beating Millwall 2-0 on aggregate to reach the final, Tigers fans would have been over the moon that their team battled so hard to win at the Den in the second leg, having had to scrap in the regular season to clinch a playoff spot on the final day.
Yet, now, the upcoming playoff final is tinged in uncertainty about when it will actually kick off, and who Hull will face at the home of football, with a BBC News report into Hull fans camping outside the MKM Stadium for tickets, resulting in one passionate supporter stating that the Spygate scandal has "spoiled the occasion" ahead.
Hull fans will also have purchased train tickets, hotels, and much more to ensure they could see their treasured team gun for Premier League promotion. If the game is to be rescheduled, so much money will be lost.
While there is a lack of sympathy currently being gifted to Eckert and the powers that be at Southampton, the St Mary's masses will also feel their team has been subject to a witch hunt out in the open, with their team's remarkable 19-game unbeaten to get into the playoffs forgotten about, for mass hysteria to take control.
There must be a conclusion to all this Spygate drama very soon, even if that does result in the Saints being dealt harsh sanctions, because right now, Southampton and Hull fans are tearing their hair out collectively over when the playoff final will actually be played.
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