Southampton have been denied the appeal to be reinstated in the Championship Play-off final on Saturday against Hull, after being expelled for the 'spygate', admitting to have secretly filmed three of their opponents during training. The EFL (English Football League) said in a statement on Wednesday that their arbitration panel had dismissed their appeal and "as a result, the original sanction remains in force: expelled from the play-off match to promote to Premier League, and a four-point deduction for next season in the Championship.
What is more, now that EFL process has ended, the FA (Football Association) has launched their own investigation, which could result in further individual and collective sanctions to the club, which admitted its guilt but said the punishment of depriving them of the Championship play-off match was disproportionate.
The FA Cup investigation will likely result in fines to the individuals responsible for filming the players of three clubs (Middlesborough, Oxford United, and Ipswich Town) during training to get insight into their strategies and have unfair advantage.
BBC reports that at the 2024 Olympic Games, the Canadian women's football team coach, her assistant and team analyst were banned for a year by FIFA and the team deducted six points for using a drone to spy on opponents.
On Saturday, Middlesborough, initially eliminated by Southampton in the semi-finals, will play against Hull City to be promoted to the Premier League at Wembley Stadium, starting at 15:30 BST.