Southampton's appeal against being thrown out of the Championship play-off final for spying has been rejected.

The match will now go ahead on Saturday between Hull City and Middlesbrough (15:30 BST kick-off), with a place in the Premier League on the line.

An EFL independent disciplinary commission on Tuesday evening expelled Southampton from the play-offs and reinstated Middlesbrough, who had lost 2-1 to the Saints on aggregate in the semi-finals.

Southampton admitted spying on three rivals' training sessions - including Boro before the semi-final first leg - but had appealed against their expulsion, calling it "manifestly disproportionate to every previous sanction in the history of the English game".

However, the EFL has rejected Saints' appeal and upheld the punishment.

"A league arbitration panel has tonight dismissed Southampton Football Club's appeal against the independent disciplinary commission's sanction following the admittance of multiple breaches of EFL regulations," the EFL said on Wednesday.

"The determination means that the original sanction of expulsion from the Championship play-offs remains in place, as does the four-point deduction to be applied to the 2026-27 Championship table and the reprimand in respect of all charges."

The decision is final and there is no further right of appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Southampton issued a statement calling the ruling "an extremely disappointing outcome".

It added: "While we fully acknowledge the seriousness of this matter and the scrutiny that has followed, the club has consistently believed the original sporting sanction was disproportionate, a view that has been widely shared by many in the football community over the last 24 hours.

"While tonight is a painful moment, this football club will respond with humility, accountability and determination to put things right."

Saints midfielder Leo Scienza said his side's expulsion was "heartbreaking" and expressed sympathy for everyone involved, including Hull and Middlesbrough.

He posted on Instagram, external: "Disappointment, anger, sadness. It's difficult to find the right words for what we're all feeling right now.

"What has happened over the last days is heartbreaking. For the club, for every player in this dressing room, and above all for our supporters. A moment like this should never end the way it did.

"I feel sorry for every football fan, as well as the players and supporters of Hull and Boro, who were caught up in all of this chaos too.

"We gave everything for this dream. Day after day, sacrifice after sacrifice, always believing we could bring this club back to where it belongs. For me, the dream of playing in the Premier League was something I fought for with everything I had. That's why this pain cuts so deep."

Earlier on Wednesday, Southampton chief executive Phil Parsons said the club could not "accept a sanction which bears no proportion to the offence".

Parsons pointed to a £200,000 fine issued to Leeds United in 2019 for spying on Derby as evidence of precedent.

However, when Leeds were punished seven years ago, regulation 127 - which expressly forbids observing an opponent within 72 hours of a game - did not exist. It was introduced as a result of Leeds' wrongdoing.

Hull, meanwhile, are unhappy they will have to face different opponents at short notice, with owner Acun Ilicali suggesting the club could take legal action if they lose the final.

Ilicali told Sky Sports he was not happy with the situation, but there was no other option "in order to finish this mess".

When asked, he did not rule out considering legal routes should Hull fail to reach the Premier League.

"I don't want to accuse anybody and until we see the full picture, but it has had too much of an effect on us," Ilicali said.

"I am representing a big club and a big family and I will not let our family get harmed with injustice."

With the EFL's process regarding 'Spygate' now complete, attention will turn to the Football Association, which could bring separate charges against individuals.

Sport Republic's rocky ownership of Southampton

It was January 2022, and Southampton were 14th in the Premier League table, 10 points clear of the relegation zone.

Saints had been in the top flight for 10 seasons, and had stabilised as a mid-table club under coach Ralph Hasenhuttl.

The club had just announced a takeover by Sport Republic, a company backed by Serb media mogul Dragan Solak.

"It is a pivotal moment in time," chief executive Martin Semmens told BBC Radio Solent.

It did turn out to be pivotal, but not in the way they had hoped.

The perception was that Southampton had stalled under their former owner, Chinese businessman Gao Jisheng. This was a chance for them to push on again.

But Saints endured a dismal end to the 2021-22 season, losing nine of their remaining 12 games. They just stayed up but it was a sign of what was to come.

Three months into the new season, Hasenhuttl was sacked.

"He'd done a really good job on under a tight budget," BBC fan writer Martin Sanders said. "They sacked him at the first opportunity, and they appointed a manager [Nathan Jones] who just wasn't good enough for that level."

Saints would go on to finish bottom of the table, 11 points adrift of safety.

While Southampton earned an immediate return to the Premier League through the play-offs, the 2024-25 campaign was dismal.

Saints finished on just 12 points, narrowly avoiding Derby's all-time record of 11 for the lowest total.

"The fans were disgusted at the last season in the Premier League," Sanders said. "We almost went down as the worst team ever."

Eckert will 'never manage a game for Southampton ever again'

Sport Republic appointed a series of under-performing and uninspiring managers.

Jones, Ruben Selles, Ivan Juric and Will Still all failed to get results.

Only Russell Martin, who earned promotion, claimed any credit from his time in charge.

When Still was sacked in November, Sport Republic turned to Tonda Eckert on an interim basis.

The German had only joined Southampton last summer as manager of their under-21 squad.

After picking up 12 points from 15 available, he was handed the first-team job on a three-year contract.

Eckert had no experience as a first-team manager, mainly working within academies, but had been the assistant manager at Barnsley and Genoa.

"I was always unsure about giving [the job to] somebody - and it's easy to say in hindsight - that's not got experience in the game of managing a men's team," Sanders added.

"And some fans would say that's maybe come back to bite them a bit."

It is going to bite Saints hard after they lost their appeal against expulsion - and the chance to play for a place in the Premier League.

Sanders says there is no way Eckert can stay at the club - and everyone implicated has to be swept out too.

"Parsons and [owner] Dragan Solak will be fuming, but I think it's down to them to make huge changes inside the football club," Sanders said.

"They will have to make wholesale changes, especially from the coaching point of view, if they want to regain any credibility.

"It's so important because the whole club is tarnished. How this has been allowed to happen is just shocking.

"Tonda Eckert will never manage a game for Southampton Football Club ever again.

"Nor should he, and the fans would not allow it." (BBC)

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