General Football Thread - Any other business

NEW: Southampton likely to face sporting sanction such as being excluded from play-off final or points deduction next season if found guilty of spygate.https://t.co/jLPPFemy2X

— Martyn Ziegler (@martynziegler) May 12, 2026

 

They going to have to decide very quickly if Southampton progress today. Friday by the latest surely.

 

I'd expect an announcement Wednesday or Thursday is Southampton win, as they need put tickets up for sale. You may even get something tonight after the match.
If Boro win, they'll likely take their time.

 

The ref in the playoff game is having an absolute nightmare. Three pretty clear penalties not awarded, a foul in the build up to one of the goals not given, and he's lost control at times.

 

It's a consequence of VAR

They forget how to make a decision. The refs in the Championship are awful

 

But most of the championship refs don’t work with VAR very often if at all.

 

Andy Madley is the ref. He's from the Premier League.

 

Nightmare for the EFL.

 

🚨🚨| NEW: Lyon could face a ban from UEFA competitions next season after reportedly failing to meet conditions agreed with UEFA last summer.

[@TeleFootball] pic.twitter.com/5oyCv64gNR

— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) May 13, 2026

 

The plot thickens

Middlesbrough have ‘evidence’ Southampton spied on two other clubs - and are ready to play in Championship play-off final https://t.co/KpQ39baRP9

— The Sun Football ⚽ (@TheSunFootball) May 13, 2026

 

I'd be amazed if they got more than a fine, at the absolute worse if it was really severe a points deduction for next season, if only for the huge can of worms it would cause otherwise.

If you say that the punishment for the spying is forfeiting the game, then the clubs they also spied on will argue that their games should be forfeited also. Apparently Wrexham is one of the sides, and they would have been in the play-offs but for thatloss.

 

At this point.

Just scrap the playoffs and promote the third place club.

Relegate Southampton and let Oxford stay up

 

I think Southampton will simply be banned from the final and they allowed the Middlesbrough game to be played so that Middlesbrough wouldn't have an unfair advantage going into the final.

 

🚨💣 | MAJOR BREAKING:

Salt used his bank card on Thursday to buy a coffee at Rockliffe Hall Golf Club.

The apparent slip has given rise to the possibility of a paper trail across the country, with transactions close to the bases of other Championship clubs in the days prior to… https://t.co/bFJbcJiYEp pic.twitter.com/nUQh3loJ3J

— Boropolis (@Boropolis) May 13, 2026

Sorry but this image is hilarious

 

I think that was part of their thinking not to rush it.

 

It’s also legally challenging. Get it wrong and it be resignation time for some in the EFL

 

You've can't be the sharpest tool in the box if you're using credit cards while on an trip that's breaking the rules. I wonder if Southampton paid his expenses claim.

 

One thing worth noting is that the Mail are getting these exclusives. Steve Gibson has a very good relationship with Craig Hope, so it's fairly clear where this is coming from.

 

I do feel a bit bad for the intern seeing as the club are apparently throwing him under the bus and claiming be did it on his own initiative.

Obviously it's the wrong thing to do but it does seem a very difficult position to put a intern in and it seems the club offering him up as a sacrificial lamb - incredibly poor behaviour from Eckert if so on two fronts

 

I am sure that Soton reported what their intern did immediately

That Eckert is a wrong un

 

I’d expect that to will go down really well with their fans.