Reynolds and Mac poke fun at Southampton's Spygate in Firefox promo

The lingering shadow of Southampton's Spygate scandal has been thrust back into the spotlight by rival club Wrexham. Co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney released a promotional video for their front-of-kit sponsor, Firefox, that directly mocked the controversy.

Ryan Reynolds said: "Today, for no particular reason, we want to talk about the importance of privacy, specifically how to prevent spies from seeing what you’re doing." Rob McElhenney added: "Because there’s some things, that you just don’t want any other people to see." The video was posted alongside match details featuring a spy emoji and a caption urging fans to 'Check Training Ground'.

The original scandal

The incident stems from last season, when a Southampton intern was caught filming a Middlesbrough training session from behind a tree. An investigation revealed the club had spied on three opponents: Oxford, Ipswich, and Middlesbrough. An arbitration panel later described the operation as 'a contrived and determined plan from top down to gain a competitive advantage'. The punishment was severe: expulsion from the promotion playoffs and a four-point deduction applied to the start of this Championship season. Manager Tonda Eckert has also been charged by the Football Association with bringing the game into disrepute.

Fan reactions and on-field response

The saga has provided endless material for opposition supporters. Watford fans baited Southampton in the season opener, with their mascot making binocular gestures. Bristol City fans sang a song labelling Southampton as cheats in the opening seconds of their recent match. Some Southampton supporters have responded with a defiant chant of their own: 'We spy when we want, we spy when we want, we are Southampton, we spy when we want'.

Despite the off-field noise, Russell Martin's side has mounted a strong recovery on the pitch. After an opening day loss to Watford, they are unbeaten in six, with four wins and two draws. They sit 10th in the Championship on 10 points, just four points behind leaders West Ham. Their recent form includes a 4-1 thrashing of Bristol City, where Cyle Larin scored twice to take his season tally to seven goals.

The timing of Wrexham's dig is pointed, as the two clubs are set to meet this Saturday. Southampton travel to face a Wrexham side struggling in 19th place, with just one win from their opening seven games. The fixture presents a chance for Southampton to let their football do the talking and continue a promising run that has seen them score 18 goals while conceding only eight.

This story first appeared at wsls.com