MIDDLESBROUGH, England (AP) — Middlesbrough wants Southampton expelled from the Championship playoff final as the English Football League prepares to hold a hearing into allegations of spying.
Southampton beat Middlesbrough in the playoff semifinals after it was accused of unauthorized filming of semifinal opponent Middlesbrough’s training for the game.
The league has warned fans there could be “changes” to the playoff final on May 23.
That leaves Hull, which won the other semifinal, uncertain of which opponent it will face for a lucrative spot in the Premier League.
“The conduct at issue, namely the observation and recording of our training session ahead of a fixture of such significance, goes to the heart of sporting integrity and fair competition,” Middlesbrough said.
“In these circumstances, the only appropriate response is a sporting sanction which would prevent Southampton FC from participating in the EFL Championship playoff final.”
Middlesbrough added it “regrets” the disciplinary commission's decision not to allow it to be part of the process and called on the English Football League to pursue a strong punishment to “deter any attempt in the future to obtain an unfair and unlawful advantage in pursuit of promotion to the Premier League.”
Southampton has previously said it was cooperating with the disciplinary process and asked for more time to complete its own internal review of the issue.
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Middlesbrough's Aidan Morris, left, and Southampton's Caspar Jander battle for the ball during the EFL Championship play off semifinal soccer game between Southampton and Middlesbrough, Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in, Southampton, England. (Andrew Matthews/PA via AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee on Friday announced that he is ending his bid for reelection, his career upended by the redistricting battles that are sweeping the country after last month's Supreme Court decision.
Earlier this month, Republicans in Tennessee enacted a new U.S. House map that carves up a Cohen's majority-Black district, reshaping it to the GOP’s advantage as part of President Donald Trump’s strategy to hold on to a slim majority in the November midterm elections.
“I don’t want to quit. I’m not a quitter. But these districts were drawn to beat me,” Cohen told reporters in his Washington, D.C. office.
Cohen is challenging the state’s redistricting effort in court and said that he would reenter the race if that lawsuit succeeded in restoring his old congressional district.
He lamented that Tennessee would likely shift to an entirely Republican congressional delegation after the next election, warning that it could also leave the state out of the loop once Democrats are able to regain the White House.
Tennessee was the first state to pass new congressional districts after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that significantly weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections for minorities. But more Southern states could follow. Republicans in Louisiana, Alabama and South Carolina also have taken steps toward redistricting.
Cohen has represented his Memphis-based district for about two decades, among the last of the white Democrats representing the South. He has been a longtime member of the House Judiciary Committee and has focused on strengthening voting access and civil rights.
He's known for his often colorful outbursts during congressional debates and hearings. During Trump’s first term, in 2019, Cohen brought a bucket of fried chicken to a House Judiciary Committee hearing at which then-Attorney General William P. Barr was a no-show.
“The message is Attorney General Bill Barr is not brave enough to answer questions from a staff attorney and members of the Judiciary Committee,” he said in a statement at the time.
Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., of Memphis, testifies before a Senate Judiciary committee during a special session of the state legislature to redraw U.S. Congressional voting maps Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
