Southampton hit out at 'manifestly disproportionate' punishment
BBC • • sports
Key Points:
- Southampton has appealed against their expulsion from the Championship play-offs, calling the sanction "manifestly disproportionate" compared to previous penalties in English football history.
- An EFL independent disciplinary commission removed Southampton from the play-offs and reinstated Middlesbrough, also deducting four points from Southampton for breaches of EFL regulations.
- Southampton's chief executive, Phil Parsons, apologized to other clubs and supporters but argued that the punishment is excessive, citing the £200,000 fine given to Leeds United in 2019 for a similar offense as precedent.
- The club emphasized the financial and competitive impact of the ruling, highlighting that the play-off final is worth over £200 million and that no previous sanction has matched this scale.
- Southampton's appeal will be heard by an independent arbitration panel, with the club maintaining that while wrongdoing occurred, the penalty violates the principle of proportionality in natural justice.