SOUTHAMPTON (ENGLAND) (ITALPRESS) – An appeal was rejected, Hull City and Middlesbrough will compete for a Premier League place on Saturday. The English Football League has rejected the appeal of Southampton, who were excluded from the Championship play-off final on Tuesday night for espionage.
The Saints, although admitting to having spied on the training sessions of three opponents including Boro before the first leg of the semi-final, had appealed, deeming the measure “manifestly disproportionate to any previous sanction in the history of English football.” But the EFL arbitration panel upheld the exclusion from the play-off final in addition to the four-point deduction to be served next season. Southampton called the outcome of the appeal “extremely disappointing. While fully recognizing the seriousness of the matter and the attention it has attracted, the club has always believed the original sanction was disproportionate, a position shared by many in the football community over the past 24 hours.”
– photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
