Other Games 2025-26

[Somniloquism]

Has a cup of coffee ever cost 150m and completely fucked a league up before.

What is the story of the coffee? Was that something that was the giveaway or smoking gun? I must admit, I don’t really follow much football beyond the Villa

Supposedly they got his name from the hotel where he used his card for a cuppa. I'm interested how they got that info though as AFAIK, the hotel isn't owned by Boro so essentially it was giving out personal information to anyone who asked.

[cdbearsfan]

Southampton don't seem to be contesting any of the evidence or how it was attained. They are only querying the severity of the punishment.

[LeeS]

Has a cup of coffee ever cost 150m and completely fucked a league up before.

What is the story of the coffee? Was that something that was the giveaway or smoking gun? I must admit, I don’t really follow much football beyond the Villa

Supposedly they got his name from the hotel where he used his card for a cuppa. I'm interested how they got that info though as AFAIK, the hotel isn't owned by Boro so essentially it was giving out personal information to anyone who asked.

Maybe the hotel staff member was a Boro fan. If Villa came asking me for that info I’d hand it over.

[Brazilian Villain]

What is the story of the coffee? Was that something that was the giveaway or smoking gun? I must admit, I don’t really follow much football beyond the Villa

Supposedly they got his name from the hotel where he used his card for a cuppa. I'm interested how they got that info though as AFAIK, the hotel isn't owned by Boro so essentially it was giving out personal information to anyone who asked.

Maybe the hotel staff member was a Boro fan. If Villa came asking me for that info I’d hand it over.

He thought he was being clever by checking in to the hotel as Simon Templar, but they put 2 and 2 together.

[Pete3206]

I think the worst thing about Arsenal winning the title is the attitude of their fans and people associated with the club this morning. They seemed to be more concerned with the "in your face, in your face" line, than actually enjoying what should be one of the best days of their footballing supporting lives. I despise them and hope PSG take them to the cleaners.

[cdbearsfan]

It's almost as if the are complete twats, like everyone said all along. If Man City had won the league yesterday, the reaction would have been a collective shrug of the shoulders.

[PeterWithesShin]

I think the worst thing about Arsenal winning the title is the attitude of their fans and people associated with the club this morning. They seemed to be more concerned with the "in your face, in your face" line, than actually enjoying what should be one of the best days of their footballing supporting lives. I despise them and hope PSG take them to the cleaners.

Like this sad sack

https://x.com/afcDW/status/2057017665240064388

[PeterWithesShin]

Southampton statement

We have appealed yesterday's decision by the Independent Disciplinary Commission to expel Southampton Football Club from the Sky Bet Championship Play-Offs, and to impose a four-point deduction for the 2026/27 season. Before turning to that appeal, I want to address our supporters, our players, and the wider football community directly and without equivocation.

What happened was wrong. The club has admitted breaches of EFL Regulations 3.4 and 127. We are sorry to the other clubs involved, and most of all to the Southampton supporters whose extraordinary loyalty and support this season deserved better from the club.

We have provided our full co-operation to the EFL's investigation and disciplinary process. Following the appeal, we will also be writing to the EFL to volunteer our participation in a working group on the practical application and enforcement of Regulation 127 across the Championship. Contrition without change is hollow, and we intend to demonstrate change.

On the appeal itself: we accept that there should be a sanction. What we cannot accept is a sanction which bears no proportion to the offence. Whereas Leeds United was fined £200,000 for a similar offence, Southampton has been denied the opportunity to compete in a game worth more than £200 million and one which means so much to our staff, players and supporters.

We believe the financial consequence of yesterday's ruling makes it, by a very considerable distance, the largest penalty ever imposed on an English football club. Luton Town's 30-point deduction in 2008/09 — to date the most severe sporting sanction in the English game — was levied against a club already in League Two, with no comparable revenue at stake. Derby County's 21-point deduction in 2021 cost them their Championship status. Everton's eventual six-point deduction in 2023/24 followed losses of £124.5 million, a figure dwarfed by what has been taken from Southampton in a single afternoon. The largest financial penalty ever levied by the Premier League, against Chelsea in March of this year, was £10.75 million, and was accompanied by no sporting sanction whatsoever despite involving £47.5 million in undisclosed payments over seven years.

We say this not to minimise what occurred at this club, which we have accepted was wrong. We say it because proportionality is itself a principle of natural justice. The Commission was entitled to impose a sanction. It was not, we will argue, entitled to impose one that is manifestly disproportionate to every previous sanction in the history of the English game.

Our appeal will be heard today, and we will provide a further update in due course.

[DC1874]

"The largest financial penalty ever levied by the Premier League, against Chelsea in March of this year, was £10.75 million, and was accompanied by no sporting sanction whatsoever despite involving £47.5 million in undisclosed payments over seven years." Fair comment, then of course there is 115 City pending...seems it's always the smaller clubs that get the heaviest punishments by football authorities!

[Skipper_The_Eyechild]

I mean, yeah, Chelsea should have been punished more, but it's not the EFL's problem.

[brontebilly]

"The largest financial penalty ever levied by the Premier League, against Chelsea in March of this year, was £10.75 million, and was accompanied by no sporting sanction whatsoever despite involving £47.5 million in undisclosed payments over seven years." Fair comment, then of course there is 115 City pending...seems it's always the smaller clubs that get the heaviest punishments by football authorities!

Whataboutery ain't it. punishment does seem severe but utter stupidity should be punished.

[Somniloquism]

It doesn't matter on PL rulings. It matters on EFL rulings. However, the same as people on here, there is definitely a world of difference between Leeds doing it without any specific rules in place at the time AND them doing it repeatedly when there were specific rules in place. And the £200million pound game is why they should be fucked off from the play-offs.

[lovejoy]

It’s shining a light on how weak the Chelsea punishment was.

[PeterWithesShin]

Southampton behaved like complete wankers, from deliberately breaking rules, to mocking Ayling, mocking the players at full time, the manager acting a twat, their fans acting like twats. Now that karma has knocked their door they're crying it's not fair. Fuck 'em and enjoy the karma.

[Somniloquism]

It’s shining a light on how weak the Chelsea punishment was.

Yes, we know it was weak, but that was the PL decision and not the EFL's one.