The Wrexham forward Josh Windass has called for the Championship playoffs to be started again, with his team involved, after Southampton’s expulsion on Tuesday. Saints were removed from the post-season competition by an independent commission after admitting to three spying offences, including against Middlesbrough, their playoff semi-final opponents.
Southampton have confirmed they will appeal against the sanctions imposed, with a league arbitration panel being convened on Thursday. The panel could uphold the original decision or reinstate Saints, who also had four points docked for next season.
Windass, whose side finished one place outside the playoffs, says the four-team competition should be completely reset, with Wrexham taking Southampton’s place. “This Southampton story is one of the maddest I’ve seen,” he wrote on Instagram. “But why isn’t the play-offs starting again with the 4 other teams? Boro v Hull would have been the semi!! Confused.”
Taking Southampton out of the equation, Wrexham would have faced third-placed Millwall in the semis.
The independent commission has reinstated Boro, who will now face Hull in Saturday’s playoff final, pending the outcome of Southampton’s appeal. Middlesbrough’s players were returning to the club’s Rockliffe Park training base on Wednesday in anticipation of being involved at Wembley, although the EFLpointed out on Tuesday that the scheduling was still subject to change because of the appeal.
The EFL said Southampton had admitted to charges of observing training sessions at Oxford in December and Ipswich in April, in addition to the Boro one. All those incidents occurred after the appointment of Tonda Eckert as Southampton’s head coach in early December.
The EFL announced on Wednesday morning that if the playoff final is contested between Boro and Hull, the kick-off time would be brought forward to 3.30pm. If the outcome of Southampton’s appeal means they are playing Hull, the match will kick off at the original scheduled time of 4.30pm.
