by Sam Hawcroft
Hull City fans have reacted angrily after tickets for the Championship play-off final went on sale despite continuing uncertainty over whether the Wembley fixture will go ahead as planned.
The Tigers are due to face Southampton at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, May 23, with kick-off currently scheduled for 4.30pm.
Both clubs have been given an allocation of 35,984 tickets, and sales opened today, but the final remains under a cloud because of ongoing disciplinary proceedings involving Southampton.
The Saints face an Independent Disciplinary Commission hearing after being charged by the EFL over allegations that a member of staff observed and recorded one of Middlesbrough’s training sessions before the Championship play-off semi-final first leg.
The hearing will take place on or before Tuesday, May 19, with the EFL saying the outcome could still result in changes to the fixture.
Possible sanctions, if Southampton are found guilty, could include a fine, points deduction or expulsion from the play-offs.
Middlesbrough have now released a strongly worded statement after being refused permission to intervene in the proceedings brought by the EFL against Southampton.
The club said it regretted that decision, arguing that it was directly affected by the matters under consideration and held relevant factual evidence about what happened and its competitive impact.
Boro said the allegation of observing and recording a training session before a fixture of such significance went “to the heart of sporting integrity and fair competition”.
The club said the only appropriate response would be a sporting sanction preventing Southampton from taking part in the Championship play-off final.
Middlesbrough said it remained hopeful the EFL would pursue that sanction before the commission to protect the integrity of the game, safeguard clubs and deter any future attempt to gain an unfair advantage in pursuit of promotion to the Premier League.
The club added that it reserved all its legal rights.
The statement has increased the uncertainty for Hull City, who are now preparing for Wembley without knowing for certain whether they will face Southampton, Middlesbrough or whether the game itself could be moved.
Middlesbrough lost 2-1 at St Mary’s after extra time on Tuesday night, following a 0-0 draw in the first leg at the Riverside.
Boro manager Kim Hellberg has already accused Southampton of cheating, while the club are thought to be preparing in case they are readmitted to the competition.
The situation has left thousands of Hull City supporters trying to plan for Wembley without knowing for certain whether the game will take place as scheduled, or who the Tigers will face.
A joint statement has now been issued by the Hull City Supporters Trust, the Hull City Official Supporters Club, Hull City Southern Supporters and the Hull City Disabled Supporters Association, opposing any postponement of the final.
The statement said: “The date of the play-off final has been on the calendar for the whole season, and thousands of Hull City fans have already made travel and accommodation plans based around that.
“They are completely blameless regarding the allegations against Southampton and should not be made to suffer as a result.”
The supporters’ groups said moving the fixture to Wednesday, May 27, which has been reported as a possible alternative, would be unfair on fans who had kept the original date free for months.
They said the later date would fall during school half-term, affect supporters who were already due to be away and make it difficult for people to take time off work at short notice.
The statement added: “Young children, who will have been looking forward to seeing their club play at Wembley for the first time, may not be able to attend an evening kick-off.
“This move would have a big economic impact on thousands of Hull City fans who have already paid hundreds of pounds in travel and accommodation costs, and would deny many more the opportunity to see their club at Wembley. This is grossly unfair.”
The groups urged the EFL to confirm that the play-off final would remain on May 23 regardless of the outcome of the Southampton investigation.
They said: “Anything else will be a dereliction of its duties towards the fans, who, yet again, are the last to be considered in such situations.
“We fill the stadia through thick and thin, fair weather and foul. We are the people who provide the wherewithal for the clubs to exist, and make the English game so appealing globally, and we believe we speak for a vast majority of fans when we say that the Football League should get its priorities right and put fans over function.”
The uncertainty has also prompted a strong reaction from fans online.
The To Hull and Back Podcast said Hull City had won their semi-final “fair and square” but were now unable to prepare properly.
The podcast said: “We don’t even know when we’re playing, which only messes our preparation further while screwing fans out of money for travel and accommodation.
“And it turns out the panels making the decisions haven’t even met yet. This is quite a time-sensitive situation. EFL, you are a joke.”
Supporter Bobbi Huyton said the situation would be “far more straightforward” if the EFL had specific punishments set out for each rule breach, including in play-off circumstances.
And Andy Medcalf described the EFL’s position as “monumentally scandalous”, saying thousands of fans had already booked travel and accommodation for a game advertised on a fixed date.
Travel arrangements have added to supporters’ concerns.
Hull Trains said it was aware of the EFL statement and was working to make sure fans could get to and from the game safely.
The company urged supporters not to take any action yet, with further updates expected once the EFL has made its decision.
Hull Trains also said some fans may have booked travel on the 7.03pm service from London because they had expected an earlier kick-off time. With the final now scheduled for 4.30pm, the company said those tickets would be accepted on later services, although trains were expected to be extremely busy.
BBC Radio Humberside’s James Fletcher has also reported that LNER will offer refunds on train tickets in the event of a fixture date change.
The EFL has said it continues to plan on the basis that the final will be played as scheduled, but has warned supporters to pay close attention to ticket terms and conditions and to consider the situation before booking travel and accommodation.
The EFL has said the Independent Disciplinary Commission will issue its decision as soon as possible after considering the relevant submissions and evidence, but added that it did not control the timetable because the case is being handled independently.