Southampton expelled from appendix final for espionage

An independent disciplinary committee issued a surprise decision to exclude Southampton from the final of the English Premier League qualifying supplement, after the charge of spying on the training of Middlesbrough was proven. This decision came after Southampton admitted to committing several violations of the regulations of the Premier League, related to filming the training of other clubs without obtaining prior permission, in an incident that occurred during the period of confrontation between the two teams in the semi-finals of the annex. along with exclusion from In the final, the committee imposed an additional penalty of deducting four points from the club's balance, which will be applied to the Championship table for the 2026-2027 season, with an official warning to the club. Based on this decision, Middlesbrough - who lost to Southampton in the semi-finals - will return to the competition for the boarding pass, and will face Hull City in the final on the prestigious Wembley Stadium. Southampton, for its part, declared its rejection of the decision and described it as "not fair, ”stressing that he is considering all legal options available for appeal. The final match remains scheduled for Saturday, May 23, with the final date to be announced at a later date.