That's all from us for now on a disappointing day for Saints fans.

But we'll be back from 06:30 BST tomorrow with more reaction to tonight's breaking news.

You can get more on the BBC Sport website here.

Image source, bbc

Dr Christina Philippou, a professor in accounting and sport finance, discussed whether Southampton's punishment was disproportionate with Lewis Coombes on BBC South Today.

"Ultimately it was a sporting breach," she explained.

"It’s very hard to prove [that they gained a sporting advantage] in reality, so what you do is you go ‘here is an advantage you’ve gained, therefore the proportion of what you get has to be an equivalent thing, which is a sporting sanction’.

"A sporting sanction is either points deductions or expulsion… so from that perspective it might be harsh, and I totally feel for the fans, the players, everybody involved… but ultimately they broke a rule and got a sanction that relates to breaking that rule."

Southampton's appeal against being thrown out of the Championship play-off final for spying has been rejected.

You can read the full story and reaction here.

Southampton Football Club has released a statement after the news broke a few minutes ago that the clubs' appeal against being kicked out of the play-offs has been rejected.

Saints say that the club "has this evening been informed that the EFL’s League Arbitration Panel has upheld the sanctions imposed earlier this week".

It continues: "As a result, the club will not participate in Saturday’s Championship Play-Off Final.

"This is an extremely disappointing outcome for everybody connected with Southampton Football Club. We know how painful this moment will be for our supporters, players, staff, commercial partners and the wider community who have given so much backing to the team throughout the season and we apologise once again to everyone impacted by this.

"While we fully acknowledge the seriousness of this matter and the scrutiny that has followed, the club has consistently believed the original sporting sanction was disproportionate, a view that has been widely shared by many in the football community over the last 24 hours.

"We would like to place on record our sincere thanks to our supporters for the support, patience and loyalty they have shown throughout an incredibly difficult period. We will share information as soon as possible in relation to ticket refunds for those who bought tickets to Wembley.

"Southampton Football Club has a proud history and strong foundations, but it is clear that trust now needs to be rebuilt. That work begins immediately. The club will reflect carefully on the events that have led to this point, learn from them and take the necessary steps to move forward responsibly.

"While tonight is a painful moment, this football club will respond with humility, accountability and determination to put things right."

A statement from the English Football League says that "the original sanction of expulsion from the Sky Bet Championship play-offs remains in place, as does the four point deduction in the Championship next season".

It means the Championship play-off final between Hull City and Middlesbrough is confirmed as taking place on Saturday 23 May, kicking off at 15:30 BST.

Dan Roan
BBC sports editor

A League Arbitration Panel has tonight dismissed Southampton Football Club’s appeal against the Independent Disciplinary Commission’s sanction following the admittance of multiple breaches of EFL Regulations.

Speaking on BBC South Today blogger and Saints fan Glen De La Cour said he didn't think the club would get reinstated.

"I thought the statement, external started OK and then it kind of dissolved into excuses and whataboutery and I don’t really think that is going to cut it," he said.

"If they want to win the appeal I hope they come up with better than that.

"I feel the same as I did 24 hours ago in that I’m angry at everybody above the playing level – that’s the management right the way up. They seem to have specialised in the last four years, [owners] Sport Republic, of finding ways to shoot themselves in the foot and they seem to have done it again."

We're still waiting to hear of Southampton's fate after the club appealed the EFL independent disciplinary commission's decision to have them removed from the Championship play-offs.

We understand Saints' appeal is being heard by an independent league arbitration panel right now, but we're yet to learn of the outcome.

We'll let you know as soon as we hear anything.

Southampton FC are in disgrace after admitting spying on three teams, including Ipswich Town, during the last Championship season.

Ipswich, already promoted to the Premier League after finishing second in the Championship, have not commented on the controversy.

Joe Fairs, of Ipswich Town podcast Blue Monday, external, said: "It will always be impossible to know what 'Spygate' changed.

"The very fact Southampton were happy to go to such lengths, they clearly felt that the value doing so was worth the risk of being caught.

"Whilst the punishment may appear harsh, I think that the English Football League have made the correct decision."

Read the full story here.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Jo Tessem thinks manager Tonda Eckert may have to go in the wake of the Spygate scandal.

"Something has gone seriously wrong if you have continued to break the rules," the former Saints midfielder told BBC Radio Solent Sport.

"Then you are breaking the reputation and disrespecting the game of football, and I don’t think the club has anything else to do and they might have to get rid of him.

"To rescue something you’ve got to make tough decisions and I think this is one of those decisions that unfortunately will happen. I don’t think there’s any way around it."

"We’ve thrown football into a very chaotic situation," said Jo Tessem, former Southampton midfielder, on BBC Radio Solent’s Spygate Special.

"We have used points and fines as the natural way of punishing things and the EFL have now gone really, really harshly out and punished Southampton with the toughest penalty I think you can ever give in football and that is the problem.

"But again, Southampton has put themselves in this position. We’ve got to remember that. They have caused this, no one else, but I think it’s harsh."

Tessem also thinks the club's apology came too late.

"When you’ve done something wrong and you know you’ve done it and you’ve been caught red handed the first thing you should do is come out with a statement and apologise.

"I think that would have put Southampton in a lot better position, I think we would have gained much more sympathy in terms of what has happened, and we could have put ourselves in a totally different position."

BBC South Today's Matt Graveling took a trip to the barbers in Southampton to hear fans' thoughts on if it was right Saints got the chop from the play-off final.

You can watch our special programme back on iPlayer here.

Speaking earlier, Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier agreed with the he club's assessment that the punishment was not proportionate.

He said: “It feels like you’ve been put on trial for murder when all you’ve done is stolen a Mars bar from the corner shop."

BBC South's sports editor Lewis Coombes is presenting a live edition of BBC South Today from Southampton's St Mary's Stadium.

It's live on BBC One now, or you can watch live here.

"Two weeks ago this was a case of people sat in a bush with binoculars, surveillance equipment and all sorts of hi-tech things, and it turns out to be a bloke with an iPhone with a pair of headphones in his ear," suggests Nick Illingsworth, from Southampton’s The Ugly Inside fanzine speaking on BBC Radio Solent.

"Do I think it affected the game up at Middlesbrough in terms of cheating by standing on a road and watching it, as much as Middlesbrough’s centre half spent half the game pulling Cyle Larin's shirt off his back? No. That was cheating and it affected the game a lot, lot more.

"But we’ve held our hands up, we’ve said yes, we cheated, and the punishment has to fit the crime, and as someone said to me earlier, it’s like being given the death sentence for stealing a packet of crisps in a supermarket."

You can watch a BBC Radio Solent special programme at the top of this page now.

Tap Watch Live above, or click here.

The hearing to decide on Southampton's appeal should now be getting under way.

It is not a public hearing so now it's a waiting game.

We will bring you updates as soon as we have them.

Southampton's statement earlier referenced several previous points deductions, including Luton Town's 30-point penalty in 2008-09 - the largest ever handed down and which ultimately cost them their place in the league.

Southampton argued that Luton's deduction - which was for entering administration and illegal payments to players - had "no comparable revenue at stake" like the Championship play-off final.

Deductions for Derby County in 2021, Everton in 2023-24 and Chelsea's escape with just a financial penalty earlier this year for payments to agents and clubs were also mentioned.

The club says it pointed this out "not to minimise what occurred" but because it does not believe the punishment is proportionate.

"The Commission was entitled to impose a sanction. It was not, we will argue, entitled to impose one that is manifestly disproportionate to every previous sanction in the history of the English game," chief executive Phil Parsons said.

The appeal hearing to decide whether to overturn Southampton's punishment is set to start at 18:00 BST, the BBC understands.