Hull City will play Middlesbrough for a place in the Premier League after Southampton failed ​on Wednesday to overturn their expulsion from the Championship playoff final for spying on opponents.

Southampton were thrown ‌out of the final on Tuesday and handed a four-point deduction for next season, after they had beaten semi-final opponents Middlesbrough.

“The original sanction of expulsion… remains in place, as does the four-point deduction to be applied to the 2026/27 Championship table and the reprimand in respect ​of all charges,” the English Football League (EFL) said in a statement.

The final will be at London’s Wembley ​Stadium on Saturday, kicking off at 3:30 pm local time.

Southampton had admitted the charge of illegally ⁠spying on an opponent within 72 hours of a scheduled match. The alleged spy was caught recording a Middlesbrough ​training session from behind a tree ahead of the first leg.

The south-coast club beat Middlesbrough 2-1 on aggregate to reach ​the final, considered the richest game in world soccer with 200 million pounds ($268.68 million) guaranteed over three seasons through broadcast revenue, sponsorship and parachute payments.

Although Southampton CEO Phil Parsons said the club accepted that there should be sanctions, he added that they could not ​accept one “which bears no proportion to the offence”.

Southampton also admitted to similarly filming training sessions involving Oxford United in December ​and Ipswich Town in April during the regular season.

Middlesbrough had demanded Southampton be kicked out of the final to “protect the integrity of ‌the game” ⁠while threatening to take legal action if required.

“This is an extremely disappointing outcome for everybody connected with Southampton Football Club,” the Saints said in a statement after the verdict.

“We know how painful this moment will be for our supporters, players, staff, commercial partners and the wider community who have given so much backing to the team throughout the ​season and we apologise once ​again to everyone impacted by ⁠this.

“Southampton Football Club has a proud history and strong foundations, but it is clear that trust now needs to be rebuilt. That work begins immediately,” it added.

The legal ramifications ​could rumble on, with Hull City owner Acun Ilıcalı suggesting his club should go straight ​to the Premier ⁠League because Middlesbrough had not qualified for the final on the field.

“The Southampton decision is arguably one of the most consequential sports disciplinary decisions to date, and certainly is in terms of its potential financial impact,” said Andrew Street, a partner ⁠at ​law firm BCLP.

“Sponsors, players, and other clubs will now be looking at ​the details of the decision and its implications.

“Commercial partners of Saints are likely to look at their options, including termination or claims for breach ​of any reputational damage clauses that sponsors often insist upon.”

-Reuters

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Youri Tielemans and Emiliano Buendia scored stunning goals as Aston Villa ​outclassed Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final on Wednesday to end a 30-year wait for silverware and ‌earn their coach Unai Emery a record-extending fifth win in the competition.

Morgan Rogers added a third as Villa secured a first major trophy since they lifted the English League Cup in 1996, and their first victory in continental competition since they were European Cup champions in 1982 after ​defeating Bayern Munich in the final .

Back-to-back wins in the Europa League for Premier League clubs after Tottenham ​Hotspur were victors last season kept alive a rare continental hat-trick with Arsenal in the final of ⁠the Champions League and Crystal Palace to play in the Conference League decider.

“I feel amazing,” Tielemans told TNT. “We put in ​a shift, top performance, we had a great season, and to top it off with this, it’s amazing.

“We only had one ​day to practise, we did it on Monday, and it worked brilliantly tonight.

“It’s been a season with a lot of ups and downs. We started so so bad, our standards were very very poor but the way we turned things around was great, credit to the players, credit to ​the staff, we just kept working, kept believing, and we got the win in the end, Champions League next season and ​a trophy.”

TIELEMANS STRIKE

Villa took the lead on 41 minutes with a superb strike from Tielemans after Rogers’ floated cross from a short ‌corner was ⁠latched onto by the unmarked Belgian and his low volley arrowed into the net.

It was 2-0 seconds before halftime through another stunning goal, this time from Buendia. Freiburg allowed Villa too much space on the edge of their box and the Argentine playmaker curled a left-foot shot into the far corner, leaving goalkeeper Noah Atubolu with no chance.

Rogers added the third on ​58 minutes when Buendia turned ​provider as his low cross ⁠into the six-yard box from the left was stabbed home at the near post.

Villa manager Emery kept up his remarkable record in the competition with a fifth victory, three with Sevilla, ​one with Villarreal and now with the English Villa.

Emery moved level with record-holders Carlo ​Ancelotti, Jose Mourinho ⁠and Giovanni Trapattoni on five European trophies.

Freiburg were hoping to win their first major silverware in their 122-year-old history but rarely threatened the Villa goal.

“The team believed until the end, but we faced an Aston Villa (side) with a lot of class. We are very ⁠proud of ​what we have achieved,” Freiburg winger Vincenzo Grifo said.

“We wanted to win ​this cup. Unfortunately we didn’t make it and this must be accepted. If you give space to players like Tielemans and Buendia … they made perfect shots. ​The first goal gave Aston Villa strength.”

-Reuters

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New York ‌City hotel operators and unions have reached an eight-year labour deal covering about 25,000 workers, averting a strike over wages, workloads and staffing levels that had threatened to disrupt the city ahead of ​the FIFA World Cup, the head of the Hotel Association of New York ​City said on Tuesday.

Vijay Dandapani, the association’s president and chief executive, ⁠said the mood among owners was “overall positive” after weeks of negotiations, though the industry ​made significant concessions.

“We came a long way from where things were,” Dandapani said.

While FIFA, ​soccer’s global governing body, was not involved in the talks, the prospect of an influx of fans raised the stakes. A union campaign had warned of a possible strike and urged visitors to ​avoid affected hotels.

The potential walkout was a “very real threat,” Dandapani said, noting recent labour ​actions in U.S. cities including Los Angeles and Boston.

The contract’s full wage and benefit details were not ‌immediately ⁠available. Dandapani said a figure of about $200,000 reflected compensation at the end of the agreement, not at the outset.

Hotel owners entered the talks aiming to preserve profitability, arguing that New York’s lodging market has not fully recovered from the pandemic. Occupancy remains below 2019 ​levels, and inflation-adjusted room ​rates have yet ⁠to catch up, he said.

He also cited broader pressures, including the war in Iran, tariffs and visa issues.

The deal follows the withdrawal ​of a proposed city measure that operators said would have ​sharply raised ⁠labour costs by limiting room attendants’ workloads and requiring double pay beyond certain thresholds. Owners estimated it could have lifted wage costs by about 40%.

The new pact will still add ⁠costs, though ​operators expect tourism demand and major events to ​support revenue.

“We believe strongly in the New York City market,” Dandapani said, adding that the city needs to ​become more affordable for businesses.

-Reuters

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