Southampton appeal rejected by EFL as Championship play-off final expulsion upheld

Middlesbrough, who lost to Southampton 2-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals last week, have been restored to the showpiece match.

Boro will now take on Hull City for a place in the Premier League.

Southampton were expelled from the fixture on Tuesday and handed a four-point penalty for the upcoming campaign following their admission of multiple EFL regulation breaches.

The scandal erupted when a club intern named Will Salt was discovered recording a Middlesbrough training session ahead of the play-off semi-final clash.

Staff at the Teesside club confronted the individual, who subsequently departed the scene, sparking what has been labelled "Spygate 2.0."

The disciplinary commission heard that Southampton had violated EFL rules prohibiting surveillance of opponents within 72 hours of a fixture.

Beyond the Middlesbrough incident, the club under manager Tonda Eckert confessed to two separate spying breaches earlier in the season.

These additional violations occurred before matches against Oxford United and Ipswich Town.

Southampton chief executive Phil Parsons issued an open letter to supporters on Wednesday, acknowledging the club's misconduct whilst maintaining the sanction was excessive.

"What happened was wrong. The club has admitted breaches of EFL Regulations 3.4 and 127," Parsons wrote.

"We are sorry to the other clubs involved, and most of all to the Southampton supporters whose extraordinary loyalty and support this season deserved better from the club."

However, the CEO argued the penalty was grossly disproportionate, noting that Leeds United received a £200,000 fine for a comparable offence.

Southampton, by contrast, have been denied participation in a match Parsons valued at more than £200 million, which he described as "by a very considerable distance, the largest penalty ever imposed on an English football club."

Former Southampton star Matt LeTissier criticised the severity of the ruling, comparing it to being "put on trial for murder when all you've done is stolen a Mars bar from the corner shop."

The appeal was fast-tracked to reach a conclusion on Wednesday to avoid disrupting preparations for the weekend fixture.

In addition to their expulsion, Southampton face a four-point deduction when the new Championship season begins.

The EFL confirmed that Saturday's final at Wembley will now kick off at 3.30pm with Middlesbrough in the fixture, rather than the originally scheduled 4.30pm start time.