Anyone with any knowledge of English football history will know that it is ridiculous for Southampton’s chief executive, Phil Parsons, to claim that their expulsion from the Championship play-offs is a bigger punishment than the 30-point deduction imposed on Luton Town in 2008 which led to relegation and almost throttled the life out of the club. Absolutely no comparison and completely weakens Southampton’s attempted argument that being thrown out of the play-offs is “manifestly disproportionate to every previous sanction in the history of the English game”.
There is some good stuff in Parsons’ statement: accepting culpability for Spygate, apologising to those clubs they spied on and apologising to their fans “whose extraordinary loyalty and support this season deserved better from the club”. Well said. But… the rules changed since Leeds United’s “similar offence” in 2019, there is no right to the £200m (it’s not a fine), and to play the whataboutery game and make the comparison with the Hatters is, fittingly, mad. Southampton’s reputation is certainly damaged but at least their very existence is not at risk. #SaintsFC #LTFC
Southampton can go again whilst being in a good position on and off the pitch next season.
Luton took years to rebuild on and off the pitch, nothing had been sanctioned before of that scale and doubt it will again.
Australia and Ireland have both been eliminated from the T20 World Cup as rain stopped play in the Group B game between Ireland and Zimbabwe in Kandy 🚨
Ahead of the Sydney Test, tributes were paid to victims of last month's attack at Bondi Beach.
First responders and community heroes were welcomed onto the pitch before the start of play.
Sydney Cricket Ground remembers. 💛
Players these days were once kids too, desperate to follow in the footsteps of their heroes.
And now it’s their turn. Their turn to create memories for the next generation.
Australia and England’s finest, living their dream. Living every kid’s dream.
This is the Ashes.
What the ECB are doing to the English test summer is nothing short of vandalism. The 2025 test summer will finish on 4 August, with no other international cricket that month. Disjointed & ridiculous.
This is so bad.
It’s like watching Arsenal in slow-motion.
Where’s the energy, the urgency, the fluency?
World class players moving around like snails.