The punishment is absolutely proportionate, Southampton were spying on their opposition in order to gain an unfair advantage. You can't ever prove that it did benefit them (especially as the three teams we know they spied on were probably the tip of the iceberg), but that's not the point here. If the punishment for espionage with the riches of the Premier League at stake were the 200k fine Leeds got, that wouldn't be a deterrent at all. In fact, it would be negligent NOT to do it. You can imagine the chaos that would cause. The Football League really didn't have a choice here. If Salford beat us on penalties on Monday and it later comes to light that one of their club employees had hidden in a bush and watched our players practicing their penalties, should the result be allowed to stand? I feel for the thousands of Southampton fans who are out of pocket because of this, but their anger should be directed at their club.
By
StarkMallard · 34 minutes ago 34 min