UPDATE 2-Soccer-Southampton lose appeal, Middlesbrough to face Hull in playoff final

Hull City will play ​Middlesbrough for a place in the Premier League after ‌Southampton ​failed on Wednesday to overturn their expulsion from the Championship playoff final for spying on opponents. Southampton were thrown out of the final on Tuesday, and handed a four-point deduction for next season, after they had beaten ‌semi-final opponents Middlesbrough.

"The original sanction of expulsion... remains in place, as does the four-point deduction to be applied to the 2026/27 Championship table and the reprimand in respect of all charges," the English Football League (EFL) said in a statement. The final will be at London's Wembley Stadium on Saturday, kicking off at 3:30pm ‌local time.

Southampton had admitted the charge of illegally spying on an opponent within 72 hours of a scheduled match. The alleged spy was caught ‌recording a Middlesbrough training session from behind a tree ahead of the first leg. The south-coast club beat Middlesbrough 2-1 on aggregate to reach the final, considered the richest game in world soccer with 200 million pounds ($268.68 million) guaranteed over three seasons through broadcast revenue, sponsorship and parachute payments.

Although Southampton CEO Phil Parsons said the club accepted that there should be sanctions, ⁠he added ​that they could not accept one "which ⁠bears no proportion to the offence". Southampton also admitted similarly filming training sessions involving Oxford United in December and Ipswich Town in April during the regular season.

Middlesbrough had demanded Southampton be kicked ⁠out of the final to "protect the integrity of the game" while threatening to take legal action if required. "This is an extremely disappointing outcome for everybody connected with Southampton ​Football Club," the Saints said in a statement after the verdict.

"We know how painful this moment will be for our supporters, players, ⁠staff, commercial partners and the wider community who have given so much backing to the team throughout the season and we apologise once again to everyone impacted by this. "Southampton Football Club has ⁠a ​proud history and strong foundations, but it is clear that trust now needs to be rebuilt. That work begins immediately," it added.

The legal ramifications could rumble on, with Hull City owner Acun Ilıcalı suggesting his club should go straight to the Premier League because Middlesbrough had not qualified for ⁠the final on the field. "The Southampton decision is arguably one of the most consequential sports disciplinary decisions to date, and certainly is in terms ⁠of its potential financial impact," said Andrew ⁠Street, a partner at law firm BCLP.

"Sponsors, players, and other clubs will now be looking at the detail of the decision and its implications. "Commercial partners of Saints are likely to look at their options, including termination or ‌claims for breach of ‌any reputational damage clauses that sponsors often insist upon." (Additional reporting by Rohith Nair ​in Bengaluru; editing by Pritha Sarkar)

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