THE boss of the Football League has today defended his board's decision to dock Southampton Football Club ten points.

Saints will be playing football in League One following yesterday's decision, which came after the club's parent company Southampton Leisure Holdings, called in the administrators.

However, an inquiry has found the St Mary's outfit responsible and the points deduction will take effect either in the current season if Southampton avoid relegation, or next term if the club do not beat the drop.

Football League chairman Lord Mawhinney said the decision was not inevitable.

"We commissioned forensic accountants to look at the situation at Southampton. They gave us their report, they drew our attention to the holding company's annual report, we got external legal advice so none of that was inevitable," he said.

"But the weight of all three of those was to make it quite clear to the board that the club's affairs are inextricably linked was the phrase we were given, inextricably linked to the holding company and as a consequence the board took the view that an administrator had been appointed relating to the club and therefore we had no choice under our regulations but to apply sporting sanctions."

Asked if he felt any sympathy for Southampton Football Club given the way they have been run over the last few years, he replied: "If you had asked me if I had sympathy for the Southampton Football Club fans I would have said absolutely yes I do.

"But the fans know as well as the rest of us that this has not been a shining example of football management.

"We have been told through countless media stories over the last few years and changes at board level and a certain amount of tension at board level, so the fans have been through a difficult time.

"I can't imagine there's a single Southampton fan who is going to welcome this decision so I have sympathy for the fans.

"But the job of the Football League board is to protect the integrity of the competition and that's what we are doing."

He added there is an appeal mechanism if Southampton decide to pursue this course of action.