Southampton owner and chairman, Dragan Solak has insisted that the club’s play-off expulsion is still a “grossly disproportionate” punishment.
Southampton were expelled from the Championship Play-Off Final on 19 May after they were found guilty of breaching EFL Regulations 3.4 and 127 after analyst, William Salt was caught spying on Middlesbrough’s training session on 7 May – less than 72 hours before the pair played out a goalless semi-final first leg.
Further charges were brought under both regulations after it emerged that Oxford United and Ipswich had too been spied on during the season, although the Saints lost 2-1 at Oxford United in December 2025 then drew 2-2 at home to Ipswich in April following the respective incidents.
The Saints subsequently won the second leg prior to expulsion which saw Middlesbrough reinstated only to lose to Hull City in the Play-Off Final, only after an appeal by Southampton failed nearly 27 hours after the original verdict and punishment were handed down.
Solak has finally publicly addressed the scandal on Southampton’s YouTube Channel in which he admitted responsibility for the handling of the situation, yet proclaimed that the punishment wasn’t fair and undeserved towards the Saints as he addressed fans’ frustrations.
“I want to take this opportunity to address the Southampton fan base directly. I want to say sorry. I’m sorry for how the season has ended. I’m at the head of the football club, and I must take responsibility for everything that happens here good and bad.
“It’s important to apologise for how we handled the matters in the early stages of the process. We have to be better.
“Once again, mistakes have been made, and we will learn from them. Let me take this opportunity to also reaffirm how committed I am to bringing success to St Mary’s. The price we have to pay for our mistakes feels disproportionate, but we accept it.”
“I’d like to address the EFL decision one final time before we close this chapter. We accept that mistakes have been made at the club level. Rules have been broken, there must be a consequence and I’ll take responsibility for that.
“But I also believe the sanction imposed is grossly disproportionate. The level of breach combined with the outcome of previous cases make this feel incredibly harsh. It’s the fans, as well as the players who suffer the most, many of whom had already made arrangements for Wembley, once the semi-final had gone ahead.
“I also believe the competition itself loses credibility. Suggesting that decisions made off the pitch can see a result on the field simply wiped out, this cannot be good for the game.
“As I have said, I want to close this chapter and look ahead, and I want to look ahead together as one, including Tonda and his staff.”
With questions still circulating under Head Coach, Tonda Eckert’s future, Solak stood by the 33 year-old and believes that he can guide the club to promotion next season.
“Tonda’s period as our Head Coach has been a success so far. Our form during 2026 has been remarkable, and we believe he is the man to take us forward. As a board, we are fully behind him, and together we only have one objective. We want promotion back to the Premier League.”
Sporting Director, Johannes Sports and Chief Executive Officer, Phil Parsons also received praise from Solak for how they dealt with the investigation, as he vowed to give supporters a team to be proud of next season.
“I also like to thank Johannes and Phil for their efforts during the difficult time. We all together will continue to work hard this summer to give you a team you can be proud of and a club that is growing every year.
“A huge thank you is also sent to the hardworking staff at St Mary’s and Staplewood for their dedication throughout the season, but my final and most important thank you is to you, our supporters.
“You are the heartbeat of the club and our future success can only happen with you behind us. We will work with FA in coming weeks to make everything right and to put this whole situation behind us so we can focus on building the club and the team and the unity and community of Saints that everyone can only be proud of.
“I promise you that we’ll bring at the end of the summer the team that will take you out of your seats and excitement will run high again at St Mary’s.
“Enjoy your summer. Let’s come back united as one in July.”