benjii

I think a category error that is being proliferated is the idea that "expulsion from the play-offs" is a possible sanction. The play-offs are part of the league so what are you going to do if you set that precedent and then someone does the same thing during the regular season? Kick them out of the league? That's not proportionate, and I don't think anyone is suggesting that we should be expelled from the EFL. So, if they want to impose a sporting sanction it has to be either: - points deduction - forfeit a match - transfer embargo etc. (unlikely to apply as this is nothing to do with transfers / financial dealings) So, if they decide on a points deduction it is either suspended for next season (or some other future season) or apllied retrospectively and big enough that we would have finished below Hull for it to be relevant. That seems unlikely. But if that was applied, the logical thing would be for Wrexham to be promoted and have a crack at the play-offs, not for Boro to be put through. No time for that, and we would appeal, delaying things further. I suppose they could just cancel the final and say Hull are promoted but I expect the other play-off clubs would not like that. If they decide we should forfeit the first leg - say 3-0 - then that makes a mockery of the second leg, which would obviously have been a completely different match. We would appeal, things would be delayed further and it would also mean they have to go back and reverse other results, if the offence is found elsewhere, which again messes up the league table and potentially causes all sorts of knock-on issues. So, in summary, I think we'll either get: - exonerated, if there is some bombshell lack of liability we don't know about Or - a fine, and/or a suspended/future (depending on promotion or not) points deduction of something like 3 or 6. Whilst the panel is independent, they need to think about the proportionality and practical enforceability of any sanction, and they need to think about the broader context and framework in which the competitions operate in order to do that.

Is he an employee? We don't know that.

Yeah, surely it isn't. Looks like it was written by chat GPT and/or a complete moron.

Arbitration agreements don't usually stop urgent court relief and one that does may not be valid.

It won't stop interim relief measures.

Plus, that is the EFL appeal process. There is nothing stopping us pursuing a court injunction as well whenever we like.

One thing we definitely know is that Adam Johnson is a nonce.

Sorry, to be clear, I mean the fans more than anything.

Good. The more tickets are sold ASAP, the better.

I feel a bit sorry for Hull. Only a bit.

I don’t think we would need to pay him anything at all. He would have to prove a loss, which he can't.

This. It would mean not just Boro have a grievance and any action should not be limited to playoffs. So if we get a retrospective points deduction that means we wouldn't have finished in the top 6, then Boro should have to play a semi against Wrexham, not get a bye to the final. If we got a smaller deduction than that it would mean no reason for Boro to be reinstated as no reason why they should get special treatment. Plus an investigation spanning multiple games over the whole season needs much longer than about 10 days to conclude.

They do for a compensation claim but it's not a prerequisite to a regulatory investigation or enforcement. Doesn't hurt to raise awareness.

This won't happen unless lots of us complain. ICOnews is the Twitter handle, I think.

Ah just wanna getabitta water on tha pitch for me playaaas.

https://www.wembleystadium.com/experiences/events/2026/EFL-Championship-play-off-final-2026 Someone should tell Wembley!

https://www.wembleystadium.com/experiences/events/2026/EFL-Championship-play-off-final-2026 Wembley selling Hull and Southampton packages.

Probably matched the transaction time to CCTV. Yes, in terms of credit card data, they will have nothing other than a time, date and transaction ID Number. They can't identify any person from that at their end. The whole "he bought a coffee" thing is bollocks designed to create the impression that there will be a paper trail linking the chap to premises near other teams training grounds. It's desperate stuff.

I really hope he was wearing Saints gear on his walkabout.

This isn't a court case yet.

Why? That just exposes the EFL to legal action and the possibility of the final not going ahead as scheduled. Will be a 'mare for them. Also, worth considering the impact if this is, in fact, quite a common practice and the precedent that a sanction other than a fine and maybe a small points deduction sets.

The more the actual detail comes out, the more this looks like a very minor technical infringement at worse, and the more the Mboro manager and hierarchy look ridiculous.

Send to SFC!

Adam Johnson, he's one of your own.

Classic footballing lack of logic if it does. Play an entire season without it: play a semi-final without it; bring it in for the final. Mental.