Southampton's squad have missed out on a potential bonus of £250,000 per player for promotion to the Premier League after being expelled from the play-off final, with the fallout from the Spygate scandal set to escalate into legal action.
Daily Mail Sport has been told that several players are considering their legal options after it was revealed to us that contracts include a £150,000 promotion bonus for those who have appeared in 50 per cent of matches. Anything less than 50 per cent is awarded on a pro-rata basis.
We understand there was also a one-off pool payment worth at least £2million to be shared among the group, taking the possible windfall to a quarter-of-a-million-pound per man.
There was then the guarantee of relegation wage drops being restored - some as high as 40 per cent, equating to as much as £1million per year - had Southampton beaten Hull City in the Championship play-off final at Wembley on Saturday. Others had wage-related promotion incentives.
The squad's senior leaders have discussed the matter and are said to be furious, not only because of the financial impact, but the sporting loss of the chance to play in the Premier League.
Southampton spy William Salt was caught filming at Middlesbrough's training ground
Southampton's players are furious at being kicked out of Saturday's play-off final
Saints were kicked out of the play-off final on Tuesday after admitting to spying on semi-final opponents Middlesbrough and two other rival teams during an independent disciplinary hearing.
As revealed by Daily Mail Sport, incriminating text-message evidence between Saints employees, including head coach Tonda Eckert, was key to the case against them. Boro have been reinstated to the final pending the outcome of Southampton's appeal, which will be heard on Wednesday afternoon.
But should the decision to remove them from the final not be overturned, Southampton could face a class action from their own squad over a potential loss of earnings. We have been told players were unaware of the spying practice.
Daily Mail Sport revealed on May 7 that a Southampton first-team analyst was confronted by Boro staff after he was spotted hiding behind a tree at their Rockliffe Park base. He then ran into a nearby golf club, changed clothes in the toilet and fled the area. The EFL charged Saints with a breach of their rules, which prohibit clubs from observing opposition training.
We later revealed a picture of intern William Salt filming Boro's training on his iPhone and exposed his close connection to Eckert.
The head coach, technical director Johannes Spors and Salt will now face possible FA disciplinary action and the club's admission of guilt raises serious questions over their futures. The FA could impose bans on individuals involved.