Championship 2025/26 Season

[suffolk fox]

1 hour ago, Tuna said:

Club statement: 20th May 2026 | Southampton FC Official Site

A statement from Phil Parsons, Chief Executive, Southampton Football Club.

We have appealed yesterday's decision by the Independent Disciplinary Commission to expel Southampton Football Club from the Sky Bet Championship Play-Offs, and to impose a four-point deduction for the 2026/27 season. Before turning to that appeal, I want to address our supporters, our players, and the wider football community directly and without equivocation.

What happened was wrong. The club has admitted breaches of EFL Regulations 3.4 and 127. We are sorry to the other clubs involved, and most of all to the Southampton supporters whose extraordinary loyalty and support this season deserved better from the club.

We have provided our full co-operation to the EFL's investigation and disciplinary process. Following the appeal, we will also be writing to the EFL to volunteer our participation in a working group on the practical application and enforcement of Regulation 127 across the Championship. Contrition without change is hollow, and we intend to demonstrate change.

On the appeal itself: we accept that there should be a sanction. What we cannot accept is a sanction which bears no proportion to the offence. Whereas Leeds United was fined £200,000 for a similar offence, Southampton has been denied the opportunity to compete in a game worth more than £200 million and one which means so much to our staff, players and supporters.

We believe the financial consequence of yesterday's ruling makes it, by a very considerable distance, the largest penalty ever imposed on an English football club. Luton Town's 30-point deduction in 2008/09 — to date the most severe sporting sanction in the English game — was levied against a club already in League Two, with no comparable revenue at stake. Derby County's 21-point deduction in 2021 cost them their Championship status. Everton's eventual six-point deduction in 2023/24 followed losses of £124.5 million, a figure dwarfed by what has been taken from Southampton in a single afternoon. The largest financial penalty ever levied by the Premier League, against Chelsea in March of this year, was £10.75 million, and was accompanied by no sporting sanction whatsoever despite involving £47.5 million in undisclosed payments over seven years.

We say this not to minimise what occurred at this club, which we have accepted was wrong. We say it because proportionality is itself a principle of natural justice. The Commission was entitled to impose a sanction. It was not, we will argue, entitled to impose one that is manifestly disproportionate to every previous sanction in the history of the English game.

Our appeal will be heard today, and we will provide a further update in due course.

Southampton should be expelled from the play off final.  They shouldn't have points deducted for next season as well though.  Punish twice for the same offence?  However, he does have a valid point about Chelsea.  Big 6 bias again.

[JimJams]

The thing about it being the largest fine in football history using an equivalence is wrong though. It's only worth the money when you win. So they've not lost anything. An opportunity perhaps. But that's a bit like an athlete juicing himself up through competition until he gets to the final and then crying about not being allowed to compete for the gold.

[shen]

7 minutes ago, JimJams said:

The thing about it being the largest fine in football history using an equivalence is wrong though. It's only worth the money when you win. So they've not lost anything. An opportunity perhaps. But that's a bit like an athlete juicing himself up through competition until he gets to the final and then crying about not being allowed to compete for the gold.

It also glosses over the fact they cheated to get themselves into the position of being in the playoffs and in a final in the first place. In that regard, I think there's an argument they should be stripped of all the points from those matches (I know didn't win against either Oxford or Ipswich, but an investigation would probably find they cheated on more occasions) or even get relegated by default. I mean, if they can get expulsed from the play-off, they could technically be expulsed from the main competition as well.

[Claudio Fannieri]

55 minutes ago, Rusko187 said:

I'm of the belief they've probably been doing this ever since he took over.

Agreed the other instances they have admitted to it they didn’t win, it’s such a coincidence and admission of those games to try and say it doesn’t have an impact. Imagine if they admitted to it multiple times it would and could have massive ramifications for the integrity of the entire championship season. 

[MrSpaM]

You can't compare a fine one club got, to money you haven't even won yet

[Dan]

Like I say - can of worms opened.

[RowlattsFox]

Worth a go from Hull I guess.

Funny seeing all the self-interest statements and reports 

[Ric Flair]

2 hours ago, Tuna said:

Club statement: 20th May 2026 | Southampton FC Official Site

A statement from Phil Parsons, Chief Executive, Southampton Football Club.

We have appealed yesterday's decision by the Independent Disciplinary Commission to expel Southampton Football Club from the Sky Bet Championship Play-Offs, and to impose a four-point deduction for the 2026/27 season. Before turning to that appeal, I want to address our supporters, our players, and the wider football community directly and without equivocation.

What happened was wrong. The club has admitted breaches of EFL Regulations 3.4 and 127. We are sorry to the other clubs involved, and most of all to the Southampton supporters whose extraordinary loyalty and support this season deserved better from the club.

We have provided our full co-operation to the EFL's investigation and disciplinary process. Following the appeal, we will also be writing to the EFL to volunteer our participation in a working group on the practical application and enforcement of Regulation 127 across the Championship. Contrition without change is hollow, and we intend to demonstrate change.

On the appeal itself: we accept that there should be a sanction. What we cannot accept is a sanction which bears no proportion to the offence. Whereas Leeds United was fined £200,000 for a similar offence, Southampton has been denied the opportunity to compete in a game worth more than £200 million and one which means so much to our staff, players and supporters.

We believe the financial consequence of yesterday's ruling makes it, by a very considerable distance, the largest penalty ever imposed on an English football club. Luton Town's 30-point deduction in 2008/09 — to date the most severe sporting sanction in the English game — was levied against a club already in League Two, with no comparable revenue at stake. Derby County's 21-point deduction in 2021 cost them their Championship status. Everton's eventual six-point deduction in 2023/24 followed losses of £124.5 million, a figure dwarfed by what has been taken from Southampton in a single afternoon. The largest financial penalty ever levied by the Premier League, against Chelsea in March of this year, was £10.75 million, and was accompanied by no sporting sanction whatsoever despite involving £47.5 million in undisclosed payments over seven years.

We say this not to minimise what occurred at this club, which we have accepted was wrong. We say it because proportionality is itself a principle of natural justice. The Commission was entitled to impose a sanction. It was not, we will argue, entitled to impose one that is manifestly disproportionate to every previous sanction in the history of the English game.

Our appeal will be heard today, and we will provide a further update in due course.

Anyone see the irony of complaining about the magnitude of the value of the playoff final game and being punished for cheating in a game of such significance. That is likely why the punishment is so severe. Prats.

[Derby Blue]

31 minutes ago, suffolk fox said:

Southampton should be expelled from the play off final.  They shouldn't have points deducted for next season as well though.  Punish twice for the same offence?  However, he does have a valid point about Chelsea.  Big 6 bias again.

Simon Jordon stated On Talk Sport that the expulsion was specifically to do with spying during the play off semi-final and that the 4 points next season is separate concerning spying before league games with Oxford and Ipswich.

[RonnieTodger]

Oh good more football court cases 

[fox_favourite]

I think I speak for all when I use....

[Jaspa]

Get the sense you dont want to mess with Middlesboro's Chairman. It was him who got Derby flushed too.

 

Tone deaf from Southampton, entitled. They cheated to get to where they are, that's admitted but then to whine about missing out on the opportunity brought about by cheating? Stupid, they should've taken a step back and digested the ruling before making a statement in that manner. Hopefully that'll bugger them up for a while.

[The Bear]

That statement is pure waffle apart from two salient points. They admitted cheating not just once, but three times. 

 

And that the punishment is disproportionate. Seems ok to me. Cheated to get an advantage in the playoffs, get kicked out. Admitted cheating in two league games, that'll be a 2 point deduction for each case. 

 

Seems perfectly fair to me. They only have themselves to blame. Crying about Leeds' fine is pointless. The rules were made after that case to specifically stop it happening again. Every club knew the new rules. 

Edited 20 May by The Bear

[Fox92]

38 minutes ago, Dan said:

Like I say - can of worms opened.

Ignore court cases, this is how should have been, Hull should have just been promoted as I posted earlier.

[Leicesterpool]

Mark Robins facing the sack at Stoke they say. I'd take him here.

[LVFox]

Just now, Leicesterpool said:

Mark Robins facing the sack at Stoke they say. I'd take him here.

Deeply concerned about his record without Adi Viveash 

[21st Century Fox]

[Qwerty]

I love how he says  "Following the appeal, we will also be writing to the EFL to volunteer our participation in a working group on the practical application and enforcement of Regulation 127 across the Championship".

Like convicted burglars offering to advise on home security!

[teblin]

7 minutes ago, LVFox said:

Deeply concerned about his record without Adi Viveash 

To be fair Pearson has been a bit the same without shakey and Walsh.

[Corky]

Just allow 3rd place to go up, as it should be 

[Tommy Fresh]

1 hour ago, suffolk fox said:

Southampton should be expelled from the play off final.  They shouldn't have points deducted for next season as well though.  Punish twice for the same offence?  However, he does have a valid point about Chelsea.  Big 6 bias again.

Assuming it's because they are technically being classed as different competitions? So the punishment for the incident with Boro is being kicked out of the playoffs, as you would if you played an ineligible player, the points deduction is related to cases that happened during the league season hence the points deduction.

[LCFCCHRIS]

Breaking

The appeal hearing to decide whether to overturn Southampton's punishment is set to start at 18:00 BST, the BBC understands.

 

 

GET IT LIVE STREAMED

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

You can't overturn that punishment once it's set. It would dick everyone about even more, the match is meant to be on Saturday 

[CosbehFox]

CEO pointing out decisions of punishments not made by the EFL. Some weak argument there 

[CosbehFox]

Saints manager did have the look of OJ Simpson in court on every media interview he did during the play offs. A very strange guy