Wrexham A.F.C. Co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac have taken a playful dig at Southampton's past 'Spygate' scandal in a new promotional video. The clip, created for the club's sponsor Firefox, arrives just days before the two sides meet in the Championship this Saturday.
Reynolds opened the video with a deadpan statement. "Today, for no particular reason, we want to talk about the importance of privacy," he said. His business partner Rob McElhenney quickly added the punchline. "Specifically how to prevent spies from seeing what you're doing."
The video's subject is a clear nod to a 2026 incident where Southampton were charged with three counts of spying after an intern was found observing a Middlesbrough training session. The club received a four-point penalty and were excluded from that season's Championship playoff final. Southampton manager Tonda Eckert was later charged by the FA for misconduct and bringing the game into disrepute.
Wrexham, who sit 19th in the Championship with seven points from seven games, host a Southampton side currently in ninth place. The team will be looking to improve its form after losing its last two matches report.
Off the pitch, the club has also been told to get its act in order regarding a planning issue with its new training ground. The squad will be without several key players for the weekend, including Max Cleworth, Stephen Revan, and George Thomason, who are all listed on the injuries page. The last meeting between the sides ended in a heavy 5-1 defeat for Wrexham back in April.
First reported at ESPN Soccer
Manager Phil Parkinson has responded to the co-owners' video, insisting his focus is solely on the match. "We're the team which obviously were affected because we were seventh, but we accepted the EFL decision on that," Parkinson said. "Southampton got punished for it and they've had to accept their punishment and move on." Wrexham, who are 19th in the Championship with seven points from seven games, host Southampton this Saturday.
