Southampton Lose Appeal Over ‘Spygate’ Playoff Expulsion

Southampton’s appeal against being kicked out of the Championship playoffs has been rejected, meaning Middlesbrough will face Hull City on Saturday at Wembley for a spot in the Premier League next year.

Southampton were expelled from this year’s playoff final and handed a four-point deduction ahead of next term after admitting to spying on three teams ahead of matches in the Championship this season. The penalty was handed down by an English Football League (EFL) independent disciplinary commission on Tuesday evening.

Middlesbrough — who lost their playoff semifinal against the Saints — welcomed the sanction, but Southampton released a statement on Wednesday afternoon calling it “manifestly disproportionate to every previous sanction in the history of the English game.”

Southampton CEO Phil Parsons apologised “to the other clubs involved, and to Southampton supporters” who he said “deserved better from the club.” Southampton appealed the punishment, with the EFL’s League Arbitration Panel judging the appeal on Wednesday afternoon.

But Southampton’s case was dismissed, the original punishment upheld. Southampton said in a statement on Wednesday evening: “This is an extremely disappointing outcome for everybody connected with Southampton Football Club. 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.”

The original charge of spying came after a Southampton first-team analyst intern was spotted filming a Middlesbrough training session on the Thursday before the first leg of their Championship playoff semifinal. Middlesbrough complained to the EFL who then charged Southampton with breaches of regulations 3.4 (failing to act with utmost good faith toward other clubs) and 127 (prohibiting clubs from observing an opponent’s training session within 72 hours of their match).