Wrexham aim brutal Spygate dig at Southampton after Championship fixture announcement

Wrexham have taken a shot at rivals Southampton after confirmation of the Championship fixtures.

Without a doubt, the biggest story of the 2025/26 Championship season was the 'Spygate' scandal surrounding Southampton's campaign.

Following an impressive season under Tonda Eckert, the Saints finished fourth in the Championship, securing a spot in the Premier League play-offs.

After their 2-1 aggregate win over Middlesbrough in the semi-finals, Southampton looked set to face Hull City in the play-off final until news of the scandal emerged.

Southampton were found guilty of covertly gaining insider information on Middlesbrough and other opponents throughout the season and subsequently thrown out of the play-offs, with Middlesbrough taking their place in the final.

Since then football fans have taken the chance to take several digs at Southampton, and following the announcement of the fixtures for the 2026/27 Championship campaign, Wrexham took the chance to stick the knife in.

The Welsh side are scheduled to play Southampton on September and when reviewing their September fixtures, Wrexham's media team made a not-so-subtle reference to Spygate.

Alongside a photo of the fixture calendar in September, Wrexham included a caption that read: "Taking us into the international break," with an emoji of a spy holding a magnifying glass.

Doubling down on the joke, the account also had a note on the picture to 'check training ground' two days before their game with the Saints

READ MORE: European club 'planning legal action' against Southampton over spygate scandal

And if they didn't make it clear enough, eagle-eyed fans noticed that Southampton's badge had been edited to include an image of a man behind a tree.

Of course, this is referencing the leaked image of Southampton intern, William Salt, standing behind a tree while filming a training session, that emerged on social media during the scandal.

What punishments were Southampton handed for Spygate?

Alongside the expulsion from the play-off final, Southampton were handed a four-point deduction in the Championship for next season.

Following the announcement, Southampton announced that they were appealing the decision, but have since been told that all of the initial punishments have been upheld, and the club cannot launch a further appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Shortly after the decision was announced, Southampton released a statement labelling the verdict is an 'extremely disappointing outcome' while reiterating their stance that the initial decision to expel them from the play-offs was 'disproportionate'.

"Whilst we fully acknowledge the seriousness of this matter and the scrutiny that has followed, the club has consistently believed the original sporting sanction was disproportionate, a view that has been widely shared by many in the football community over the last 24 hours," the statement reads.

"Southampton Football Club has a proud history and strong foundations, but it is clear that trust now needs to be rebuild.

"That work begins immediately. The club will reflect carefully on the events that have led to this point, learn from them and take the necessary steps to move forward responsibly.

"While tonight is a painful moment, this football club will respond with humility, accountability and determination to put things right."