u/Rackademic

The EFL have acted appropriately. The punishment fits the crime.

Southampton have admitted spying on three teams, Oxford, Ipswich and Middlesborough. Spying on Boro makes sense as they had an important game with much at stake. The other infractions make less sense, spying on Ipswich and Oxford ahead of league fixtures which carry far less heft. Oxford especially, who are one of the weaker teams in the league and have since been relegated, though ironically they beat Southampton.

What is likely (though not proven) is that Southampton were spying on everyone, and just got caught at Middlesborough, Oxford and Ipswich. We can only speculate. The poor lad whose career in football was just starting and is now forever tainted, was ordered by the club's manager, Tonda Eckert, to spy and therefore break the rules.

The rule states that monitoring a training session within 72 hours of a match is an infraction. Some have argued that if the lad had been caught 73 hours before the game, this would have been fine. Of course it wouldn't have been, but it's irrelevant anyway because it was within this window.

The EFL have sanctioned Southampton appropriately;

For spying on Oxford ahead of a league fixture, a 2 point deduction next season.

For spying on Ipswich ahead of a league fixture, a 2 point deduction next season.

For spying on Middlesbrough ahead of a play-off semi-final, they have been ejected from the competition.

Southampton have to fight this and claim this is a harsh punishment, but they have ascribed the consequences of their own wrongdoing as to the reasons for this inconsistency. As I have pointed out, an identical infraction in a less crucial game garnered a much lesser penalty (which they have not appealed).

Imagine if Southampton had won their appeal and gone to Wembley. Every neutral in the country would be cheering for Hull, and if Saints won, they would win a tarnished trophy, a victory with an asterisk, forever remember as the cheats who ran off to the Premier League like thieves in the night. They cannot escape that, but they can still make loads of money, which is why they appealed. Corporate grubbiness which is unrelatable to football fans who want to win trophies, not be handed them.

I have heard some claim this is like being sentenced to life in prison for stealing a chocolate bar. This is a flawed analogy because it ignores this context. A better analogy would be this is like a stealing a car, getting caught, and then asking nicely to keep the car because its a very expensive car and you like it very much.

What made all this far worse was the binocular goal celebrations, the ghillie suits in the crowd, even the manager mocking the situation in his post match interview. I'm sure this made the argument for true contrition difficult, as the club only addressed the matter and apologised after they had been sanctioned. The very definition of being sorry you got caught.

Sadly, and as so often is the case, there are many victims here who are not in any way at fault. I feel for the poor intern whose name is synonymous with controversy so early in his career, and who only wanted to do what he was told for the club who employed him. I feel for Middlesbrough and Hull (and Wrexham a little bit) who will play at Wembley (normally a shining moment for footballers) under the black raincloud of this shambles.

I feel for some Southampton players who just wanted to perform for their club and tried so hard this season only for the rug of success to be pulled from under them.

But most of all, I feel for the genuine Saints fans who have had to tell their children that they aren't going to Wembley now, that their Premier League dreams are over and the only place they can lay blame is at the door of their own club, who have violated the only rule we can all agree is sacred. That the spirit of the sport is healthy competition, with real tangible success, failure, rewards and consequences.

It's a very sad day for Southampton, but also a sad day for football. The only thing that can make up for it is justice, and I hope that the Saints can earn back the respect they have lost.