Middlesbrough: Championship club calls for Southampton’s expulsion from play-offs

Middlesbrough have issued a statement calling for Southampton to be excluded from the Championship play-off final.

Boro will not be allowed to attend an EFL hearing into allegations they spied on the Saints’ Rockliffe Park training ground during the first leg of their play-off semi-final at Riverside last Thursday.

They describe the behavior as contrary to the “integrity of sport and fair competition” and believe the only fair outcome is sporting sanction.

Southampton progressed to the final against Hull City on 23 May after beating Boro in extra time in the second leg; however, depending on the outcome of the hearing, this may need to be rescheduled.