Middlesbrough: Championship club Southampton call for relegation

Middlesbrough have issued a statement demanding Southampton’s exit from the Championship play-offs.

Boro will not be allowed to attend an EFL hearing over the Saints’ charge at their Rockcliffe Park training ground during the Riverside play-off semi-final first leg last Thursday.

They say the act is against “sporting integrity and fair competition” and believe that a sports penalty is the only fair result.

Southampton should beat Boro in extra-time to reach the final against Hull City on May 23 – but may have to be postponed depending on the outcome of this trial.