Southampton hit out at ‘manifestly disproportionate’ punishment

Southampton said they objected to their exclusion from the Championship play-offs as it was “clearly disproportionate to any previous sanction in the history of English football”.

On Tuesday evening, an independent disciplinary commission from the EFL expelled Southampton from the play-offs and reinstated Middlesbrough, who will face Hull City in the final on Saturday.

The St Mary’s club also dropped four points from the Championship next season.

The Saints’ appeal will be considered by an independent league arbitration panel later Wednesday.

The statement stated that the club “cannot accept a sanction that has nothing to do with the crime.”