Hull City owner Acun Ilicali has confirmed the club will take legal action should they not win the Championship play-off final against Middlesbrough at Wembley
Hull City owner Acun Ilicali(Image: (Tony King/Getty Images))
Hull City owner Acun Ilicali has confirmed the club will pursue legal action should they fail to secure victory in this afternoon’s play-off final against Middlesbrough.
Boro are competing against the Tigers this afternoon at Wembley following Southampton’s unsuccessful appeal against their removal for ‘spygate’.
An independent commission handed down the sanction on Tuesday after Saints, who have also been deducted four points for next season, admitted three spying charges, including monitoring a Middlesbrough training session prior to the semi-final first leg.
The commission also reinstated Boro, who lost 2-1 after extra-time at St Mary’s, having drawn 0-0 at the Riverside Stadium, denying Southampton the opportunity of a shot at promotion to the Premier League worth an estimated £200million at a minimum.
However, Ilicali has described the decision to permit Middlesbrough to re-enter the play-offs as “unbelievable” and believes Wrexham should have been brought into the play-offs.
Speaking on BBC Radio Humberside outside Wembley, he said: “Our legal team says that we have to go for action, that’s for sure.
“So we have no doubt about it. Here, all we want is justice. If justice is broken, nobody will enjoy football.”
Before he added: “If this action was so big that a team is out of the play-offs, why didn’t they let them not play the semi-final, investigate and take Southampton out and put Wrexham in?
“Why is Wrexham out now? Put Wrexham in and continue the competition. For me, an eliminated team {being] put back – also our lawyers say this and that’s their opinion too – is an incredibly wrong decision.
“Now I can talk a little more because now the boys are in the stadium and they will not hear me. I didn’t want to make their focus disturbed.
“Decisions are discussable from what I understand from our lawyers, very discussable. But of course we have to focus on the game and the boys are tough enough to overcome these difficulties.”
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