Manager Matt Le Tissier takes aim at the penalty handed down by the EFL after Southampton were kicked out of the Championship play-off final following Spygate.
Matt Le Tissier goes on a rant, but he says it seems like too much punishment for Southampton
Matt Le Tissier believes the EFL’s punishment of Southampton, who were kicked out of the Championship play-off final over the Spygate scandal, is to make it appear as if they are “on trial for murder”.
Saints were revealed to have spied on Middlesbrough’s training session ahead of their goalless semi-final first leg. The EFL attacked them, but the south coast side won the second leg and qualified for Wembley.
Middlesbrough demanded severe punishment and an EFL hearing resulted in Southampton being expelled from the play-off final. The Saints were also given a four-point penalty for next season.
Although this type of incident is unprecedented, authorities have responded harshly to Southampton, who have indicated they intend to appeal. Internally they are convinced it will work in their favor, and Le Tissier believes the punishment goes too far.
He told The Sun: “Personally, I’m trying to put on my neutral hat, but I feel like the punishment is a little disproportionate. I feel like I’m on trial for murder when all I did was steal a Mars bar from the corner store.”
read more: Ryan Reynolds ravages Southampton over Spygate scandal after Wrexham near missread more: EFL releases new Spygate statement as play-off final kick-off time changes
“That’s how it feels to me. Yes, there was misconduct, there are rules in place and the club fully accepted that there would be a penalty. But I am surprised by how many people feel the penalty is disproportionate to the actual offense.”
The Championship play-off final is known as the richest match in football, given the more than £100m in revenue that comes from being in the Premier League. Le Tissier claimed that spying on the team had a “literally microscopic advantage”. The former player admitted that Southampton had spied on three opponents this year, but referred to the fact that they failed to win any of their subsequent matches.
Southampton admit to spying on several rivals (Image: Getty Images)
He continued: “The word cheating is used a lot in football, and yes, that’s exactly what happened. But for me, diving for a penalty is cheating. If you go down into the box without being touched by the opponent, that’s blatant cheating.”
“And that has a much bigger impact on the game than knowing where your opponent’s set-pieces are coming from.
“I think actually diving for a penalty to influence the outcome of the game is probably a more serious offense because it is something that has a significant impact on the outcome of the game.”
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