Before matches, clubs keep training private by closing sessions, blocking views, limiting who can enter, preparing for drones and keeping records if someone is seen watching near the ground or online.

The protected details are usually set-piece plans, team shape and player availability, not rondos or fitness work. Middlesbrough feared the alleged Southampton observer had seen Kim Hellberg’s dead-ball routines, and Hayden Hackney’s availability had been kept as a close selection issue, the Guardian reported.