Saints set to appeal points deduction

Southampton are contemplating launching an appeal against the Football League’s decision to dock the club 10 points.

The club, now ran by administrators from Begbies Traynor were confident they could avoid the penalty as the holding company went into administrator and not the football club.

But yesterday the Football League docked the Hampshire side 10 points, stating how the club and holding company were ‘inextricably linked’.

The Saints will receive the points deduction next season, assuming they stay in the bottom three.Or if they manage to escape the drop, they will be given the points anyway and will be relegated to the third tier of English football.

Mark Fry, joint administrator has revealed his anger towards the decision by the Football League.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Fry claimed that the Football League gave the club no time or warning that the decision was going to be made:

‘The football club had no opportunity to even advise its own staff, the players or get announcements to the fans in advance of the announcement by the Football League,’ he said.

‘Indeed it goes further than that to say that the football club was not even aware that the investigation had been concluded and the announcement was about to be made so they had no opportunity to have any input on the report that was submitted by the investigating accountants, no opportunity to comment on whether it’s factually correct even, in terms of the information that they’ve relayed to the Football League.

‘So overall I would express a degree of shock and real disappointment on behalf of both the holding company in terms of the asset it holds in terms of the football club and indeed in terms of the football club itself.’