Southampton has been kicked out of this weekend’s Championship playoff final after the English Football League found the club guilty of spying on multiple opponents this season.
The decision means Middlesbrough, who lost to Southampton in the EFL playoff semifinal in England’s second division, will be reinstated into the competition and face Hull City on May 23 with promotion to the 2026-27 Premier League on the line.
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Southampton have already said they will appeal the sanction.
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After originally facing the sole charge of spying on Middlesbrough before the first leg of their playoff semifinal, the EFL discovered additional instances of Southampton spying on opponents.
The club admitted to spying on Oxford United in December, Ipswich Town in April and Middlesbrough, with an analyst discovered to have observed a training session two days before the first leg of the semifinal. Southampton had claimed the employee was working on his own and was not instructed to be at Middlesbrough’s training facility.
“Middlesbrough Football Club welcomes the outcome of today’s Disciplinary Commission hearing,” the club said in a statement. “We believe this sends out a clear message for the future of our game regarding sporting integrity and conduct. As a club, we are now focused on our game against Hull City at Wembley on Saturday.”
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According to EFL regulations, teams are required “to act with the utmost good faith and prohibiting the observation of another club’s training session within 72 hours of a scheduled match.”
The Saints will also begin next season with a four-point deduction.
In the Championship, the name of England’s second tier, the teams that finish first and second in the table are automatically promoted to the Premier League the following season, while the teams that finish third through sixth contest a four-team playoff for the final spot.
