Final tickets on sale despite Spygate uncertainty

Image source, Getty Images

• Published17 minutes ago

Tickets have gone on sale for the Championship play-off final, despite uncertainty over whether the match between Hull City and Southampton will go ahead as planned.

Saints face a hearing over the Spygate scandal, which saw the club charged by the English Football League (EFL) for observing one of Middlesbrough's training sessions within the 72-hour period before the semi-final first leg between the sides at the Riverside.

The hearing, conducted by an Independent Disciplinary Committee, will take place on or before Tuesday, 19 May.

The EFL has said that the final could be delayed, dependent on the outcome of that hearing, and any possible appeal by either Middlesbrough or Southampton.

Both Hull and Saints have received an allocation of 35,984 for the Wembley final, which is currently scheduled to kick off at 16:30 BST on Saturday, 23 May.

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Hull secured their place in the final with a 2-0 victory at Millwall on Monday, while Saints defeated Middlesbrough 2-1 on Tuesday to progress, courtesy of a Shea Charles winner in extra time.

However, the play-offs have been overshadowed by the allegations a member of Saints' backroom team broke EFL rules by 'spying' on a Middlesbrough training session last Thursday, two days before the first leg of their semi-final.

There is currently no framework in place for any possible sanction since this officially became part of EFL regulations.

Possible penalties for Saints include a fine, a points deduction or even expulsion from the play-offs.

And against this backdrop, the EFL said it could not guarantee the showpiece at Wembley would go ahead as planned.

Hull fans 'being penalised'

The one thing that is guaranteed is that Hull will be in the final. But the uncertainty over next Saturday's staging of the game is not helpful for their supporters, many of whom want to book travel and accommodation to get to London.

"We're basically being told, buy a ticket and you're taking a gamble," BBC journalist and Hull supporter Bobbi Huyton told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"It might not even take place next week. Just nothing but frustration and I'm honestly disgusted with how it's been handled."

The Hull City Official Supporters' Club also issued a statement in which they expressed concern at how the play-off final could be moved at short notice.

"This is a situation in which we have had no influence but in which we are, both as a football club and supporters, being penalised," they said.

"Any decision to move the date of the final will result in many of our supporters not only losing out financially, but then facing the prospect of being unable to attend the re-arranged fixture.

"Given that this is a situation which has largely resulted from the EFL's own error in failing to publish the sanctions for a breach of the rule regarding 'spying' on opposition teams, we feel this is manifestly unfair."

Related topics

• Hull City
• Middlesbrough
• Championship
• Southampton
• Football

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