Middlesbrough and Hull City finished fifth and sixth respectively in the Championship table to advance to the Playoffs. | Photo Credit: AFP

Ahead of its Championship Playoff final against Middlesbrough on Saturday, Hull City owner Acun Ilicali said that the club will take legal action if its opponent is promoted to the Premier League.

Defeat to Southampton in the semifinals had seemingly ended Middlesbrough’s season, but Southampton was expelled from the final on Wednesday for spying on opponents throughout the season, including Middlesbrough, before their first-leg clash.

According to reports, Hull, which beat Millwall in the semifinals, was exploring an option through which it would be granted direct entry into the top tier.

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Before the kick-off at Wembley, Ilicali told BBC Radio Humberside outside the stadium that the decision to let Middlesbrough play was “unbelievable.”

“Our legal team says we have to go for action, that’s for sure. We have no doubt about it. All we want is justice. If justice is broken, nobody will enjoy football,” he added.

The club was left unhappy as it spent more than a week preparing for the Saints. “For me, an eliminated team (being) put back - also our lawyers say this, and that’s their opinion too - is an incredibly wrong decision,” Ilicali said.

Published on May 23, 2026