Piers Morgan reveals how he would punish Southampton "cheats" for Spygate scandal | OneFootball

Piers Morgan has revealed how he would punish Southampton for spying on Championship opponents such as Middlesbrough

Southampton have been kicked out of the Championship play-offs for spying, but Piers Morgan thinks that the Saints should be given a more severe punishment.

The Saints have also been handed a four-point deduction for next season, although Tonda Eckert's side have appealed against the sanctions imposed on them.

Following the news that Southampton have been kicked out of the play-offs, Hull City will now face Middlesbrough at Wembley Stadium in Saturday's final.

The Tigers beat Millwall in their semi-final, whereas Boro have been handed a place in the final, as the guilty Saints spied on their training session.

Piers Morgan outlines how Southampton should have been punished for spying incidents

Southampton enjoyed a resurgent run of form in the second half of the Championship campaign, but their players' efforts will ultimately count for nothing, in terms of promotion, if the Saints don't win their appeal.

According to Alan Nixon via X, an appeal verdict will be delivered by Wednesday night, by which time we will know whether Eckert's men will be reinstated into the play-off final.

Meanwhile, as revealed in an EFL statement, it was revealed that Southampton admitted to the unauthorised filming of Oxford United and Ipswich Town training sessions, as well as the well-documented spying incident ahead of their play-off semi-final first leg clash with Middlesbrough.

Intriguingly, the Saints were beaten 2-1 by Oxford on Boxing Day, having filmed the Kassam Stadium club's training session within 72 hours of the fixture, while they were held to a 2-2 draw by Ipswich last month.

Southampton's decision to appeal their punishment shows that they believe their sanction is too harsh.

However, speaking live on talkSPORT Breakfast, Morgan revealed how he thinks the South Coast outfit should have been punished: "Honestly, I would relegate them. They're cheats! Relegate them, teach them a lesson. No more spies, no more spies!"

Meanwhile, as per talkSPORT's Alex Crook via X, the Championship play-off final will kick off at 15.30 on Saturday if it's Hull vs Middlesbrough, and an hour later if it's the Tigers vs Southampton.

Neither Hull nor Boro have played in the Premier League since being relegated from the top flight in 2017, whereas the Saints will be vying for an immediate top-tier return if they win their appeal and are allowed to compete at Wembley Stadium.

Southampton punishment will act as spying deterrent if Saints don't win appeal

There is an argument that the independent commission's decision to kick Southampton out of the play-offs and deduct them four points ahead of next season is harsh, and has punished players and supporters too severely.

Saints fans will be gutted if their club don't win their appeal, and they are no longer able to see their side compete for a place in next season's Premier League at Wembley.

However, the decision to kick Eckert's men out of the play-offs, coupled with next term's deduction, will likely ensure that Championship clubs will not commit similar offences in the future.

Southampton may not be happy that the independent commission has arguably used them to set a precedent, but it will surely be the last case of its sort if they do not win their appeal.