Southampton spying scandal - Saints lose appeal, Middlesbrough to face Hull in playoff final

Hull City will ​play Middlesbrough for a place in the Premier League after Southampton ‌failed on Wednesday in its appeal against expulsion from ​the Championship playoff final for spying on its opponent.

Southampton was ⁠thrown out of the final on Tuesday, and handed a four-point deduction for next season, after it had beaten semifinal opponent Middlesbrough.

“The original ‌sanction of expulsion. . . remains in place, as does the four-point deduction to be applied to the 2026-27 Championship ‌table and the reprimand in respect of all charges,” ‌the ⁠English Football League (EFL) said in a statement.

The final will ⁠be at London’s Wembley Stadium on Saturday, kicking off at 3:30 pm local time.

Southampton had admitted the charge of illegally spying on an opponent within 72 ​hours of a scheduled match. ‌The alleged spy was caught recording a Middlesbrough training session from behind a tree ahead of the first leg.

The south-coast club beat Middlesbrough 2-1 on aggregate to reach the final, ‌considered the richest game in world football with 200 ​million pounds ($268.68 million) guaranteed over three seasons through broadcast revenue, sponsorship and parachute payments.

Although Southampton CEO Phil ⁠Parsons said the club accepted that there should be sanctions, he added that they could not accept “a sanction which bears no proportion ‌to the offence”.

Southampton also admitted similarly filming training sessions involving Oxford United in December and Ipswich Town in April during the regular season.

Middlesbrough had demanded Southampton be kicked out of the final to “protect the integrity of the game” while threatening to take legal action if required.

“This is an extremely disappointing outcome for ‌everybody connected with Southampton Football Club,” the Saints said in a statement ​after the verdict.

“We know how painful this moment will be for our supporters, players, staff, commercial partners and ⁠the wider community who have given so much backing to the ⁠team throughout the season and we apologise once again to everyone impacted by this.

“Southampton Football Club has a ‌proud history and strong foundations, but it is clear that trust now needs to be rebuilt. That work begins immediately,” ​it added.

Published on May 21, 2026

Click here to read article