Hull City owner wades in on Spygate and makes request as Middlesbrough brace for update

Middlesbrough are demanding Southampton are kicked out of the Championship play-off final after the south coast club face a spying charge ahead of the Wembley showpiece

Acun Ilicali says he has instructed his Hull City players to block out the speculation surrounding the Championship play-off final's uncertainty and concentrate on the task ahead.

Middlesbrough are braced for the outcome of an EFL hearing set to take place this week that could decide their play-off future. Southampton face the threat of expulsion from the play-off showpiece at Wembley over the Spygate row.

There remains a genuine possibility that Saturday's showpiece final could be postponed while the disciplinary proceedings are ongoing.

For the moment, Hull boss Sergej Jakirovic and his coaching staff are working on the assumption they will face the Saints, who they have already defeated twice during the regular campaign.

Ilicali states the club are preparing as usual. "This is football, and there is a saying that I really like and believe in, 'football is not just football', so you can see that all this week has been so many things going on without the pitch and without the football field," the City owner told Hull Live.

READ MORE : Middlesbrough handed Championship play-off final blow as major update emergesREAD MORE : Six pundits have their say on Spygate as Southampton punishment debated

"I don't want to comment on anything at the moment about these things. I have asked my players to fully focus on the game," the Turkish businessman added.

"Maybe it looks like it's not a comfortable situation for our boys, but they know what to do, and I believe in them, so with any result, we have the full respect."

It will be an uncomfortable wait for Middlesbrough and Southampton, who await a judgment on their £200million Premier League opportunity.

According to The Times, the FA and EFL will attempt to establish if Saints boss Tonda Eckert, technical director Johannes Spors or other figures were involved in the Spygate controversy after William Salt was pictured at Boro's training ground.

While the Riverside club have called for Southampton to be expelled from the playoffs, a points deduction is also a possibility. Despite not being allowed to plead their case this week, Boro have told the EFL that there is only one appropriate decision.

"In these circumstances, the only appropriate response is a sporting sanction which would prevent Southampton FC from participating in the EFL Championship play-off final," they wrote on Friday.

"We remain hopeful that the EFL, as regulator, will pursue such a sanction before the Disciplinary Commission in order to protect the integrity of the game, safeguard all member clubs, and deter any attempt in the future to obtain an unfair and unlawful advantage in pursuit of promotion to the Premier League. The club reserves all its legal rights."

Regardless of their opponent, Hull owner Ilicali, who will have as many as three hundred family and friends travelling from across the globe to attend the Wembley final, has promised Tigers supporters a spectacular occasion.

"We want to have a big show, so I think it will be a beautiful day," he continued. "Near the stadium, we are planning a big organisation that will show everybody how big a family we are, so I'm inviting all of our fans before the game near the stadium area, and I will be there too."

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