Wrexham's Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have not let last season's Southampton spying controversy fade quietly, using a social media video to needle their upcoming opponents before Saturday's Championship meeting at the Racecourse Ground.
The two clubs meet at 15:00 BST this weekend, with Southampton's visit coming just months after the Saints were thrown out of the play-off final and docked four points following a scandal that became known as 'Spygate'. An intern working for the club was discovered observing Middlesbrough's training session ahead of their play-off semi-final, and further investigations revealed similar episodes had occurred earlier in the season involving Oxford United and Ipswich Town.
Reynolds and McElhenney, co-owners of Wrexham since 2020, used the club's official X account to release a 59-second clip that mocked the affair while nominally promoting the team's shirt sponsor, Firefox. The skit opens with Reynolds stepping out from behind a tree before launching into a tongue-in-cheek message about digital privacy.
"Today, for no particular reason, we want to talk about the importance of privacy," Reynolds says in the video. McElhenney follows up with, "Specifically, how to prevent spies from seeing what you're doing."
The pair continue their comedic routine by referencing an internet search for "how to run a football club" before directly naming Middlesbrough, Oxford and Ipswich as clubs whose privacy was compromised last season. Reynolds closes the segment with a pointed remark: "Refreshing, huh? An organisation that actually respects your privacy." The video ends with a shot of a mobile phone allegedly displaying footage of a Southampton pickleball team training.
This is not the first time Wrexham have referenced the scandal. When the club unveiled its fixture list back in June, eagle-eyed fans spotted a cheeky addition to the September schedule. Next to the date of 17 September – two days before hosting Southampton – the calendar included the note "check training ground," accompanied by an asterisk explaining it was "for unauthorised visitors."
The timing of the jab comes with Wrexham sitting 19th in the Championship table after seven matches, while Southampton occupy ninth position with 10 points, three ahead of their hosts. The two sides last met in April, when Southampton triumphed 5-1 at the Racecourse Ground during a run that saw them leapfrog Wrexham and ultimately secure a play-off berth before the subsequent punishment was handed down.
Despite the light-hearted online exchange, Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson has kept his focus firmly on football matters. He confirmed his club remained in dialogue with the English Football League throughout the fallout from the spying scandal, given Wrexham's own proximity to the play-off picture at the time.
"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."
He added: "That's all I can say on it really, it's gone. We're concentrating on what we've got to do and likewise they're the same."
Wrexham will be looking to bounce back from a heavy 6-0 defeat to West Ham United in their previous outing, while Southampton, managed by Tonda Eckert, will aim to build on their solid start to the campaign as both clubs look ahead to Saturday's contest.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.