Southampton officially appealed the decision of the independent disciplinary commission of the EFL to exclude the club from the Championship play-off and take away four points from the 2026/27 season. The press service of the “saints” reported this to the club’s director, Phil Parsons, in response to a statement..

Southampton confirmed that the club had discovered a violation of EFL regulations related to the unauthorized taking of training sessions for other teams before matches. Kerivnytsia asked for relief from clubs that suffered from the incidents, as well as from high-profile patients.

" We regret this in front of other clubs and, most importantly, in front of the fans of Southampton, whose incredible support for their season deserved to be the best,” reads Parsons’ statement.

At the same time, the club said that they would not be happy with the severity of punishment. Southampton is aware that the sanctions are in line with similar events in English football.

The statement indicates that Leeds United had previously withheld a fine of ?200,000 for a similar offence, while Southampton had effectively denied the chance of playing a match that could have earned the club over ?200 million..

The “saints” also said that they respect their punishment as one of the worst in the history of English football. The club guessed about a 30-point fine for Luton Town in the 2008/09 season, a 21-point fine for Derby County in 2021, and an increase in financial sanctions for Chelsea and Everton, saying that there are many more such large-scale decisions among them.

Southampton's appeal is due as early as May 20th. The club asked to provide additional information after completing the process.