Soccer-Southampton appeal dismissed, will not play Championship playoff final

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(Fixes typo ⁠in headline, no ⁠change in text)

May ‌20 (Reuters) - Southampton will not play the Championship playoff final ​after their appeal ⁠against expulsion ⁠on spying charges and ⁠a ‌four-point deduction for next ⁠season was rejected, the English ​Football ‌League (EFL) announced on Wednesday.

Southampton ⁠were ​thrown out of the final on ⁠Tuesday after being found ​guilty of spying on semi-final opponents Middlesbrough, ⁠who will now face Hull City in Saturday's contest for a ​shot ⁠at promotion to the ​Premier League.

(Reporting ‌by Rohith Nair ​in Bengaluru; editing by Pritha Sarkar)