EFL chief responds to legal action 'Spygate' claim as Hull City promoted vs Middlesbrough

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EFL chief Rick Parry has urged Championship sides to 'move on' from the Spygate scandal following the play-off final. Hull City and Middlesbrough clashed at Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

It was the Tigers who ended up being successful, wit h Oli McBurnie's stoppage-time strike securing victory and with it, a place in the Premier League . Their promotion brings the Spygate saga to a close, Middlesbrough having been reinstated to the play-offs after Southampton were found guilty of spying on the North East club before their play-off semi final.

They also admitted to spying on Oxford United and Ipswich Town throughout the regular campaign. Saints were kicked out of the competition and deducted four points for the 2026/27 season. EFL chairman Rick Parry has now confirmed his hope that the result brings the saga to an end.

Speaking to talkSPORT, he said: “I hope so, yes of course. We have to move on, the season has to finish – players are going off to the World Cup on Monday.

“We all need clarity now and we all need certainty and what we have a habit of doing in football, all the precedents say that however frustrating it can be at times, you tend to look at punishments prospectively.

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“If you had to unravel the whole of the previous season’s league table, you would never get a competition finished, so that is always a guiding principle: punishments happen forwards, not backwards.”

His comments come after Hull owner Acun Ilicali announced that his side would take legal action should they have been defeated at Wembley.

Speaking to BBC Radio Humberside, he said: "Our legal team says that we have to go for action, that’s for sure. So we have no doubt about it. Here, all we want is justice. If justice is broken, nobody will enjoy football.”

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He added: “If this action was so big that a team is out of the play-offs, why didn’t they let them not play the semi-final, investigate and take Southampton out and put Wrexham in?

“Why is Wrexham out now? Put Wrexham in and continue the competition. For me, an eliminated team [being] put back – also our lawyers say this and that’s their opinion too – is an incredibly wrong decision.”

Hull's victory might not be the end of the story. The FA have launched an investigation , with Southampton boss Tonda Eckert potentially facing a ban.

To celebrate the Hull Daily Mail has produced a stunning souvenir special edition. It's a must-have record of how Sergej Jakirovic's brilliant Tigers clinched promotion from the Championship reliving the full campaign, the drama of the play-offs and the Wembley triumph. It is packed full of reaction, analysis, reports and amazing pictures. Click here to buy.