SOUTHAMPTON captain Taylor Harwood-Bellis has broken his silence on Spygate.
Saints were booted out of the Championship play-offs after being caught spying on semi-final opponents Middlesbrough before the first leg.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis took to social media to address Spygate Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
He also referenced his binoculars celebration in the post Credit: x.com/SkySports
Southampton drew 0-0 at the Riverside before a 2-1 win at St Mary’s sent them through to the final – with .
However, the – with a spot in the Premier League up for grabs.
appealed against the ruling – which also saw a four-point deduction for next season – but this was rejected.
And Harwood-Bellis – who – took to Instagram on Thursday to share his disappointment.
The defender, , wrote: “It’s been nothing but an honour to walk this team out and represent every fan watching in the stands, so it feels right that I speak to you guys directly about what has unfolded this week.
“As players, we are absolutely gutted, disappointed, and heartbroken that it’s come to this.
“We worked so hard as a group to provide the football that you fans deserve.
“For those of us involved in the relegation, it only fuelled our comeback.
Middlesbrough will play the final against Hull on Saturday Credit: Alamy
“We knew what it felt like to play in the Premier League, and we were driven by the belief that we could bring that back to you all.”
Harwood-Bellis, 24, also addressed his .
He added: “I’d also like to put on record that, had I known the severity of the situation, I would never have done what I did on the pitch.
“In the moment, it was meant as a bit of fun in a situation that we as players were not informed about.
“As fans, you’ve been unbelievable. Our unbeaten run was driven by your passionate support.
“We didn’t start the season strongly, yet you still stood by us and believed in every single one of us.
“We can be proud that we battled through a tough Championship season together, and I’ll always be grateful for the support you gave us every step of the way. Thank you. Enjoy your summer, Saints.”
The EFL released the written reasons for the ruling against Southampton by the independent disciplinary commission on Thursday evening.
In it, they .
The findings stated: “We have concluded that there was, on the part of the Respondent, a contrived and determined plan from the top down to gain a competitive advantage in competitions of real significance by deliberate attendance at opposition training grounds for the purpose of obtaining tactical and selection information.
“It involved far more than innocent activity and a particularly deplorable approach in its use of junior members of staff to conduct the clandestine observations at the direction of senior personnel.
“The submitted that the evidence supported the view that the observations were authorised at a senior level and that the task was delegated to the intern in relation to the Middlesbrough incident and the Oxford incident.
“He declined to be involved in the Ipswich incident. We heard evidence from the intern who described the pressure he was placed under.
“In addition to the sporting sanctions, a reprimand is considered appropriate in the present case because of the way in which junior members of staff were put under pressure to carry out activities which they felt were, at the least, morally wrong.
“Such staff were in a vulnerable position without job security and with limited ability to object to, or resist the instructions given to them.”
The chaotic events have also led to while .
Elsewhere, to argue that his side should get automatically promoted without the need to play the final – because Boro have already lost.
Saints legend .
He told SunSport: “Personally I try to put a neutral hat on but I feel like the punishment does feel a bit disproportionate.
“It feels like you’ve been put on trial for murder when all you’ve done is stolen a Mars bar from the corner shop.
“You could say it’s a 50-50 chance of whether we go up or not. So I’d probably say it’s like a £100million fine.
“It’s a rule talking about something that gets you literally a microscopic advantage over a team.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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