Unveiling the Secret Spying Culture in German Football: GoPros, Drones, and Southampton's Spygate Penalty Await

THERE are lots of reasons to love German football.

The fan culture and atmosphere in the is outstanding, tickets are better priced compared to the Premier League and you can have a pint while watching the game.

Southampton are currently awaiting their Spygate verdict Credit: Getty Southampton beat Middlesbrough after Shea Charles scored a last-gasp winner Credit: Alamy

There is also the 50+1 rule, which sees club members hold a majority of voting rights to prevent billionaires from taking full control.

But scratch beneath the surface and you find something deeply troubling within the German game – but it is met with a shrug of the shoulders by most clubs.

It appears that German is addicted to spying.

So, maybe we should not be too surprised that Southampton’s German coach Tonda Eckert, like Marcelo Bielsa when he was at Leeds, has allegedly brought the dark arts to English football.

The Saints are still waiting to discover their punishment for sending an analyst to Middlesbrough’s training ground before the play-off semi-final first leg, while preparing for Saturday’s play-off final with Hull.

Speaking to coaches in this country, there is a real sense of anger over what has happened because Southampton have crossed a line.

Over the last few days, other EFL clubs have been searching through their CCTVs to try and help Boro by seeing if they were also spied upon.

Sunsport – – has launched an investigation into spying in Germany and the results are staggering.

Marcelo Bielsa admitted to spying on the opposition while at Leeds Credit: Getty

This is an issue rarely spoken about in the German media because everyone accepts it is rife.

There have been occasional flare-ups, which we will come on to later.

Once again this season, German clubs have been sending spies to rival Bundesliga clubs to get an extra edge.

We spoke to one coach who said that most clubs – although not his – have a specialist spy who might be slightly more sophisticated than the Saints bloke hiding behind a tree with an iphone.

Not all German teams take part in the spying but it seems as though they are in the minority.

For example, it would be a massive shock if manager , who spent most of his career in the Premier League, would instruct any colleague to spy on other teams.

And with up front, he hardly needs to bother.

Many clubs now use drones to film their training sessions but some also use the technology to search for spies hiding in bushes.

Cheating is not uncommon in the Bundesliga but not every team takes part Credit: Reuters Spying on other teams is not necessarily needed for all players Credit: Getty

Some managers send staff to walk around the perimeters of the training ground to make sure there is not an analyst behind enemy lines.

Even meeting rooms in the away team hotel are not sacrosanct. Teams often deliver a security sweep to make sure there are no recording devices left in a corner.

It has been known for teams to find GoPros hidden to record the manager’s tactical talk to his team.

Some people might think spying does not give a team an advantage but it really does.

Spying can help a team work out the probable line-ups, tactics and set-piece routines.

They will also be able to see if teams are varying rotations, which is when one player swaps positions with a team-mate during a game to drag an opponent out of position.

One source told Sunsport: “During a game, within five minutes, you know if you have been watched in training by the other club.”

Ahead of the play-off semi-final first leg, Southampton would have been able to have an idea of who the penalty takers might have been had spot-kicks been needed after the second leg.

Saints’ boss has been accused of being a cheater for the Spygate scandal Credit: Getty Leipzig’s Ole Werner spoke about spying but it didn’t gather much attention in German media Credit: Getty

For this to stop, all sporting directors in the Bundesliga would have to get together and speak about this – but there does not appear to be any appetite to make a change.

In April, Leipzig coach Ole Werner spoke about spying but it only warranted a couple of paragraphs in a German paper.

Referring to his time at another club, he said: “We’ve even sent people out to hide in the bushes or launched drones from a great distance – but with varying degrees of success, I have to say.”

Back in 2018, revealed their anger after finding out Werder Bremen spied on training. They flew a drone over three training pitches

Club spokesman Holger Kliem said: “We have handed the case over to the police who have initiated an investigation.”

Again, it only made a few lines in the media. Nothing happened in Germany and it looks as though the spying will continue.

However, due to the furore over Spygate involving Southampton, it looks as though any manager deciding whether to use techniques ahead of a game night think again.

As for Saints, they have become public enemy No1. Sunsport has also discovered that before the first leg at , they stayed in a Newcastle hotel to avoid the chance of fans letting off fireworks in the early hours of the morning.

But in the next 24 hours, it could be the aiming some fireworks in the direction of St Mary’s.