Southampton were expelled from the Championship play-off final, which could be worth around €200 million if promoted to the Premier League, after an independent disciplinary panel confirmed that the club spied on Middlesbrough 48 hours before the semi-final meeting.
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In an official statement, published this Wednesday, the club admitted the practice of espionage, but contested the severity of the sanction, which also includes a deduction of four points for the 2026/27 season. Chief executive Phil Parsons confirmed the club has appealed the decision.
“We have appealed yesterday’s decision by the Independent Disciplinary Commission to expel Southampton from the Championship play-offs and impose a four-point deduction for the 2026/27 season,” Parsons began by stating. The director made a point of directly addressing the fans and the football community, taking the club’s blame.
«What happened was wrong. The club admitted breaches of EFL Regulations 3.4 and 127. We apologize to the other clubs involved and, above all, to Southampton fans, whose extraordinary loyalty and support this season deserved better from the club.”
Despite accepting that there should be a sanction, Southampton considers the punishment to be disproportionate, comparing it to previous cases. Parsons argued that while Leeds were fined €250,000 for a similar infraction, Southampton were denied the opportunity to play in a match worth more than €200 million.
“We believe that the financial consequence of yesterday’s decision makes it, by a considerable margin, the largest penalty ever imposed on an English football club,” he added, citing the point deductions of Luton Town (30 points in 2008/09), Derby County (21 points in 2021) and Everton (six points in 2023/24) as examples of sanctions with an incomparably smaller financial impact.
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