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Hull City preparing for Playoff Final postponement in wake of ‘Spygate’
Hull City are bracing for the Championship Playoff Final being postponed in anticipation of a legal challenge by Southampton if they are found guilty of spying on semi-final opponents Middlesborough.
The ‘richest game in football’, set to take place on Saturday 23rd of May, could be moved to a later date, after a Saints analyst was photographed observing Boro’s training in secret prior to the first leg last week, as reported by talkSPORT.
It comes as Kim Hellberg’s side, who fell to a 2-1 defeat after extra time courtesy of Shea Charles’ cross-turned-shot on Tuesday night, continue to train in limbo with the South Coast side set to attend a hearing with the English Football League’s (EFL) Independent Disciplinary Panel before facing the Tigers at Wembley.
The EFL refused to comment when talkSPORT asked whether the final would be moved date, a decision almost as unprecedented as the incident being dubbed ‘Spygate 2.0’ – seven years after Leeds were fined £200,000 for spying on Frank Lampard’s Derby County prior to their semi-final in 2019.
Tonda Eckert’s team may receive a ban from the playoff final if they are found guilty of breaching Regulation 127, prohibiting spying on an opponent within 72 hours of a fixture, which was brought in after Leeds’ sanctioning.
Hellberg accused Southampton of cheating, to which his Saints counterpart said the club are taking “very seriously” with an internal investigation that they pressed the EFL for more time to complete before the hearing.
The Southampton boss’ post-match press conference after the semi-final earlier in the week was called short by his press officer after a journalist asked if he was a cheat, calling for the member of the press to show more respect.
A warning, fine, future points deduction, or worse are the other possible actions that the English Football League could take if Southampton are found guilty of instructing the analyst charged with spying to have done so, resulting in the man being photographed behind a tree recording the session in Darlington.
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