Hull City threatens legal action if they lose play-off final as players arrive at Wembley Stadium

Hull City have threatened to take legal action if they lose the play-off final, as the club's players arrive at Wembley Stadium.

The Tigers are set to face Middlesbrough, who lost to Southampton but were reinstated after the Saints were booted out of the competition for admitting to spying on Boro.

Hull's owner, Acun Ilicali, told BBC Radio Humberside outside Wembley Stadium before kick-off: "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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Ilicali labelled Middlesbrough's reinstatement to the competition "unbelievable".

He said: "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."

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Ilicali avoided discussing the outcome of the EFL's independent disciplinary commission's hearing before the day of the final.

He explained: "Now I can talk a little more because now the boys are in the stadium and they will not hear me. I didn't want to make their focus disturbed.

"Decisions are discussable from what I understand from our lawyers, very discussable.

"But of course we have to focus on the game and the boys are tough enough to overcome these difficulties."

The situation escalated after Southampton admitted to multiple breaches of EFL regulations.

The scandal erupted when a club intern was discovered recording a Middlesbrough training session ahead of the play-off semi-final clash.

Staff at the Teesside club confronted the individual, who subsequently departed the scene, sparking what has been labelled "Spygate 2.0".

The disciplinary commission heard that Southampton had violated EFL rules prohibiting surveillance of opponents within 72 hours of a fixture.

Beyond the Middlesbrough incident, the club under manager Tonda Eckert confessed to two separate spying breaches earlier in the season.

These additional violations occurred before matches against Oxford United and Ipswich Town.

Southampton chief executive Phil Parsons issued an open letter to supporters on Wednesday, acknowledging the club's misconduct whilst maintaining that the sanction was excessive.

"What happened was wrong. The club has admitted breaches of EFL Regulations 3.4 and 127," Parsons wrote.

"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."

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