Jakirovic Comments on Southampton Spygate Impact
Sergej Jakirovic has guided Hull City to the Championship play-off final in his debut season in English football.
Hull City manager Sergej Jakirovic described his team as "collateral damage" amid the controversy surrounding Southampton's expulsion from the Championship play-offs due to spying allegations.
The Tigers were originally scheduled to face Southampton for a Premier League promotion spot this weekend. However, Southampton were expelled on Tuesday after admitting to spying on three clubs throughout the season, including their play-off semi-final opponents Middlesbrough.
Southampton lodged an appeal against the expulsion, but it was rejected on Wednesday. Consequently, Hull City, who defeated Millwall in the other semi-final, will now face Middlesbrough instead.
"We can say everything is unfair in this last two weeks. You don't know what's going on," Jakirovic told BBC Radio Humberside.
"If you look from a Middlesbrough point of view they knew if they were successful they would play against us so I can turn the situation around but I will not do that. We will try to beat them on the pitch.
He added: "We are collateral damage because we are waiting on [a] opponent and you don't know what's going on, what's happening."
FA Investigation and Penalties
The Football Association is conducting an investigation into Southampton's conduct. Additionally, Southampton have been penalized with a deduction of four points at the start of the 2026-27 season.
Jakirovic, a former Bosnia international, stated that his personal opinion on the case "doesn't really matter."
He also commented on the challenge of preparing for a new opponent on short notice, saying that it would not be overly difficult because "we know everything about them and they know everything about us."
Jakirovic on Motivation and Upcoming Match
When asked if the recent events provided extra motivation to win the upcoming game, Jakirovic responded:
"Of course, this is what we can do.
It's in our power, we will try to win. It will be a demanding game. It will be difficult of course but we are in a good shape and good form. I hope we can win."
Both Hull City and Middlesbrough are aiming to end a nine-year absence from Premier League football.
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