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BREAKING: Hull owner to take legal action if they lose play-off final
Ollie Whitmore, Chief football news repoter
Hull City owner Acun Ilicali has promised he will take legal action if the club is defeated by Middlesborough at this afternoon’s Championship Play-off Final at Wembley.
The Tigers were set to face Southampton after they won 2-1 in the semi-final second leg at St. Mary’s, only to be expelled from the playoffs after being found to have spied on three second-tier clubs, including Boro, and breaching Regulation 127.
Illicali described the EFL’s decision to reinstate Kim Hellberg’s side as “unbelievable” and said that his club’s legal team have recommended they take action in the event of losing out on the prize in excess of £200m and a place in the Premier League.
“Our legal team says that we have to go for action, that’s for sure,” Ilicali told BBC Radio Humberside outside Wembley Stadium.
“So we have no doubt about it. Here, all we want is justice. If justice is broken, nobody will enjoy football.
“If this action was so big that a team is out of the play-offs, why didn’t they let them not play the semi-final, investigate and take Southampton out and put Wrexham in? Why is Wrexham out now? Put Wrexham in and continue the competition.
“For me, an eliminated team {being] put back – also our lawyers say this and that’s their opinion too – is an incredibly wrong decision.”
“Now I can talk a little more because now the boys are in the stadium and they will not hear me. I didn’t want to make their focus disturbed,” he added.
It comes as Saints boss Tonda Eckert, who was found to have ordered the spying by the EFL’s independent disciplinary commission, faces both the sack and action from the Football Association (FA) which could result in a lengthy ban from football.
Several of his players are also reportedly considering legal action over a loss of earnings after being removed from the final, with wage reduction clauses having activated following their relegation from the Premier League.
The play-off final kicks off at 15:30 (GMT) today with live coverage on Sky Sports Main Event, having become one of the most fascinating yet controversial showpiece fixtures in the history of the football league.
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