Boro take their place 

Southampton expelled from Championship play-offs - also handed points deduction

©TM/IMAGO

Southampton’s hopes of winning promotion to the Premier League have officially been delayed by another season. As the English Football League (EFL) announced on Tuesday evening, an independent disciplinary panel has “excluded Southampton from the Sky Bet Championship play-offs after the club admitted to several breaches of EFL regulations relating to the unauthorised filming of other clubs’ training sessions”.

The Saints have not only been punished for the rest of this season for the spying incident, but will also feel the consequences of the decision next season too: “In addition, a four-point deduction has been imposed on the club, which will be applied to the Championship table for the 2026/27 season,” a statement added. Southampton has been cautioned on all charges. To complete the play-off final line-up, recently defeated Middlesbrough will step in to face Hull City in the battle for promotion to the Premier League. From a financial perspective, the final is the most lucrative in football and is still scheduled to take place on Saturday 23 May – the kick-off time is yet to be confirmed.

The world’s most lucrative final: what can Southampton do now?

However, a backdoor remains open for the heavily sanctioned Saints. “Southampton has the right under EFL regulations to appeal the Commission’s decision, and the parties are working to clarify a potential appeal on Wednesday 20 May. Depending on the outcome, this could lead to a further change to the match scheduled for Saturday,” the EFL said, adding that it was in discussions with all three clubs involved regarding the implications of the announced decision.

What happened? A Southampton staff member is alleged to have engaged in spying in the run-up to the semi-final play-off against Middlesbrough. This staff member is said to have filmed the opposition’s training sessions shortly before the first leg against Boro (0-0). The EFL subsequently launched an investigation. EFL Rule 127 states that an opponent’s training sessions may not be observed within 72 hours of a match. This is known as the ‘duty of fair play’ between clubs.

A sporting sanction was considered more likely than a purely financial fine. In the English league system, drastic measures are possible, including, for example, match results being overturned or, in extreme cases, even exclusion from the current competition. The winner of the play-off final for the last Premier League spot stands to gain an estimated €200 million in additional revenue thanks to TV rights and other income, which is significantly higher in the world’s richest league than in the Championship.

Background: Following the 2019 ‘Spygate’ scandal involving Leeds United, in which manager Marcelo Bielsa admitted to spying on Derby County’s training sessions and the club was handed a hefty fine, the EFL has significantly tightened its rules. Since then, observing opponents’ training sessions before matches has been explicitly banned and is considered a clear breach of the rules, no longer a grey area. Unlike in 2019, the consequences now go beyond mere fines. The Times assumes that the punishment will be more than just a fine, as Southampton were aware of the potential consequences of spying.