Middlesbrough face Hull in football's richest game after 'spygate' row
Wembley will host the Championship play-off final between Hull and Middlesbrough (Adrian DENNIS) Middlesbrough and Hull will meet in the richest game in world football at Wembley on Saturday, competing for a place in the Premier League in a match overshadowed by Southampton's "spygate" saga. Saints were expelled from the Championship play-offs this week after admitting to spying on opponents' training sessions, with beaten semi-finalists Middlesbrough reinstated. Boro accused Southampton of snooping on them before the first leg of their play-off semi-final earlier this month.
A photograph subsequently emerged of a man standing behind a tree, apparently recording images on his phone. The English Football League said Southampton had been kicked out after admitting to "multiple breaches of EFL regulations related to the unauthorised filming of other clubs' training". Saints also admitted to spying on Oxford and Ipswich earlier in the campaign and were handed a four-point deduction for next season in the English second tier.
Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg said in his pre-match press conference on Thursday that the spying scandal had taken its toll. Asked about his dreams of victory, he said: "I don't sleep. I haven't slept for one and a half weeks, I think, so there are no dreams.
"Hopefully, I get a good night's sleep today, and then I will tell you about the dreams tomorrow. " Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic told the BBC his team had been "collateral damage" in the drama. He told reporters that Southampton had "crossed a line" but questioned what value they could have got from doing it.
Jakirovic has been waiting to find out who his team's opponents would be due to legal hearings. "When you (the media) told me about 'spygate' after the first leg (of the semi-final against Millwall), I started to laugh, because why (would you do it)? "I know everything about every team, and this is my first season here, I know every player -- but this is my job.