Hull City's response to finding out Southampton have been thrown out of play-offs

Southampton have lost their appeal with a League Arbitration Panel against the decision to expel them from the EFL Championship play-offs over the 'spygate' scandal, meaning Hull City will now face Middlesbrough in the final at Wembley.

The Saints have since released a statement following their failed appeal, while Hull have responded following this decision.

Earlier in the day it had been reported by Ben Jacobs that the Tigers ‘firmly believe they should be promoted’ automatically following the expulsion of Southampton.

Hull City firmly believe they should be promoted given Southampton were expelled after knocking Middlesbrough out.

Hull unhappy with limited days to prepare for a new opponent and exploring legal options. A challenge after the final is not ruled out.🔽 https://t.co/a4eaPShmS2

— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) May 20, 2026

The reasoning for this is because they feel it is unfair that they have a limited period to prepare for the fresh challenge of Middlesbrough after they had initially believed they would have to face Southampton.

Hull progressed past Millwall in their Championship playoff semi-final with a 2-0 win on aggregate, despite entering the fixture as underdogs.

Now that the Tigers will face Middlesbrough now in the final on Saturday at Wembley, the fixture will kick off at 3:30pm, with the winners set to play for promotion to the Premier League with the belief that the financial benefit of achieving this feat will be worth around £200 million.

#HCAFC remain steadfast in their belief they should go up automatically in the wake of #SaintsFC being thrown out. @talkSPORT

— Alex Crook ⚽️🎙 (@alex_crook) May 20, 2026

This will explain exactly why Hull may be exploring legal action regarding this fixture if they are not promoted, and so they could make a challenge after the final on Saturday in the hopes of ensuring they earn a place in the English top flight.

Now, journalist Alex Crook has reported on social media that Hull remain ‘steadfast in their belief they should go up automatically’ after the removal of Southampton from the play-offs due to their involvement in the ‘spygate’ scandal for their actions in recording the Middlesbrough training session ahead of their first leg fixture.

While this may be a possibility following the match on Saturday, it should make for an interesting encounter, with it being a first for the competition where a side that were eliminated in the semi-final will now participate in the final at Wembley for a place in the Premier League, as Middlesbrough now have the chance against Hull.