Hull City are seeking legal advice over whether they should receive automatic promotion to the Premier League following Southampton's dramatic removal from the Championship play-off final.The Tigers had been set to face the Saints at Wembley this Saturday before the south coast club was expelled from the competition amid a spying scandal.Club officials are now in discussions with lawyers to determine if they have grounds to bypass the final entirely and secure top-flight football without kicking a ball.Turkish-British owner Acun Ilicali has confirmed his legal team believes there may be a case for direct promotion.The Humberside outfit last competed in the Premier League in 2017 and could return either through legal channels or by defeating Middlesbrough, who have replaced Southampton in the final.Ilicali has voiced his exasperation at the sudden change of opponent, revealing the extensive groundwork his squad had undertaken."Under normal circumstances, two teams have reached the final and one has been disqualified. Our lawyers' opinion is that we should go directly to the Premier League, but they're examining it right now," he told Turkish outlet Asist Analiz."We can't say anything definitive. It's a bit of a messy situation."The owner explained that his players dedicated ten days to analysing and preparing specifically for Southampton, with all tactical planning centred on the Saints."Tomorrow the players are off, Thursday is the last serious training session. We'll prepare for the new opponent with one training session," Ilicali added, highlighting the minimal preparation time remaining before Saturday's showpiece.Southampton's removal from the play-offs came after an EFL Independent Disciplinary Committee found them guilty of multiple breaches of league regulations.A member of the club's staff had been caught observing Middlesbrough's training sessions ahead of their semi-final clash, which the Saints won 2-1 on aggregate.The investigation also uncovered that Southampton had monitored training sessions of Oxford United and Ipswich Town during the regular season.As punishment, the club was thrown out of the play-offs entirely and handed a four-point penalty for the 2026-27 campaign.Middlesbrough, who lost their semi-final tie to Southampton, have now been reinstated and will face Hull at Wembley on Saturday.The match has been dubbed the "200m final" given the enormous financial rewards of Premier League promotion.Southampton lodged an appeal against their punishment, with the hearing taking place this evening.Club chief executive Phil Parsons has argued the sanction is grossly disproportionate compared to previous penalties in English football."Whereas Leeds United was fined 200,000 for a similar offence, Southampton has been denied the opportunity to compete in a game worth more than 200m," Parsons stated.He pointed to Derby County's 21-point deduction and Everton's six-point penalty as examples of lesser punishments for arguably more serious infractions."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," Parsons added.Hull have not dismissed the possibility of pursuing legal action after Saturday's final should they remain in the Championship.Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

BBC correspondent Will Grant reports from Havana, hours after the US charged former Cuban leader with conspiracy to kill US nationals and other crimes.

Hundreds of cases are suspected in central Africa but experts fear the actual number may be much higher.

A tourist outing on the frozen edges of Siberias Lake Baikal ended in tragedy Tuesday after a hovercraft carrying travelers overturned in frigid waters leaving five people dead and sparking a large-scale rescue effort, according to Russias Ministry of Emergency Situations and as cited by local media Interfax and Komsomolskaya Pravda.Emergency officials said the vessel a Sever-750 airboat designed to travel across both ice and water capsized just offshore with 18 people aboard.Rescue crews managed to pull 13 survivors from the lake, including a child, while five others were pronounced dead at the scene.DELTA PILOT TELLS CONTROL TOWER 'WE LOST ENGINE' AS FLIGHT IGNITES RUNWAY FIRE"According to updated information, there were 18 people on board the hovercraft. Thirteen people, including a child, were rescued. Unfortunately, five people died," EMERCOM said in a statement to Interfax.The group had been traveling as part of a guided tour near Lake Baikal, the worlds deepest freshwater lake and one of Siberias most popular tourist destinations, according to Russian media outlets.Most of the passengers are believed to be visitors from Moscow, the outlets said.Authorities have not yet determined what caused the incident, but early reports suggest the hovercraft may have become unstable after moving onto thin ice near the shoreline.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTERInvestigators are also looking into whether overcrowding played a role, local outlets reported.Russian media indicated that the hovercraft was built to carry no more than 10 passengers but was transporting 18 people along with heavy equipment at the time of the incident.Komsomolskaya Pravda reported the captain steered the hovercraft onto ice and jumped into the water shortly before it overturned.One survivor suffered a leg injury and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, local media outlets said.CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIESThe hovercraft tragedy underscores the rapidly changing weather conditions, dangerous waves and strong winds associated with Lake Baikal, reports indicated.A local tour operator told Russian outlet Komsomolskaya Pravda that the model involved in the crash was poorly suited for the lakes rough conditions."These boats are known to be unstable on open water," the operator reportedly said, saying the vessel is more commonly used on rivers and calmer surfaces.TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZLake Baikal, often described as an inland sea because of its enormous size, is notorious for sudden storms and icy conditions even during tourist season, according to National Geographic.Investigators from Russias transport prosecutors office and the countrys Investigative Committee have opened an inquiry into the crash as officials work to determine whether safety violations contributed to the deadly accident, several reports said.The Investigative Committee and the Buryat Transport Prosecutor's Office (BTPO) are investigating the hovercraft accident, according to Russian media outlets.Lake Baikal, located in southeastern Siberia, is considered one of the worlds most extraordinary natural landmarks. Recognized as the oldest, deepest and largest freshwater lake by volume, it holds nearly 20% of the planets unfrozen fresh water.Fox News Digital reached out to EMERCOM and the BTPO for comment.

According to the agreement, starting next season, the ministers framework will grant a budget of 2.2 million NIS only to teams that play with four foreign players throughout the season.

Der Einspruch des FC Southampton mit seinem deutschen Teammanager Tonda Eckert gegen den Ausschluss aus den Aufstiegs-Playoffs der zweiten englischen Fuball-Liga ist zurckgewiesen worden. [mehr]

PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. -- The Northern Arizona Wranglers earned their first victory of the 2026 season in dominant fashion with their best performance... - IFL Northern Arizona Wranglers

Davenport, Iowa - Royals No. 7 prospect Ramon Ramirez went 4-for-4 with four RBI to help the Quad Cities River Bandits erase an early four-run deficit... - MWL Quad Cities River Bandits

After the four-game road trip that opened the season, the Sky (3-1) are seeking their first home win of the season on Wednesday when they take on the ... - WNBA Chicago Sky

Largement dominateur, Aston Villa donne la leon Fribourg et remporte la finale d'Europa League. Les Comms RMC de cette victoire.