Southampton’s attacking midfielder, Leo Scienza has expressed ‘anger’ at the club’s spying offences.
Southampton were found guilty of breaches of EFL Regulations 3.4 and 127 on Tuesday (19 May) after analyst, William Salt was caught spying on Middlesbrough on 7 May – less than 72 hours before the pair played out a goalless draw in the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final.
The Saints subsequently completed a second-leg comeback to prevail 2-1 on aggregate but following the guilty verdicts during which they admitted to two further cases of spying on opponents, they were expelled from the Play-Off Final and given a four-point deduction for next season.
Southampton subsequently lost an appeal after they argued that the sanctions “bears no proportion to the offence”, which meant that Middlesbrough were officially reinstated and will now meet Hull in the showpiece event at Wembley Stadium, London,
The decision also meant that Southampton have missed out on a chance to challenge for an instant return to the Premier League and around £200m in prize money if had won the Play-Off Final.
Scienza subsequently took to Instagram to express his ‘anger’ and ‘sadness’ at the situation which has embroiled the club in scandal and affected the playing squads and supporters of Southampton, Hull and Boro who have been caught in the crossfire.
‘Disappointment, anger, sadness … It’s difficult to find the right words for what we’re all feeling right now.
‘What has happened over the last days is heartbreaking.. for the club, for every player in this dressing room, and above all for our supporters. A moment like this should never end the way it did.
‘I feel sorry for every football fan, as well as the players and supporters of Hull and Boro, who were caught up in all of this chaos too.’
The 27-year-old Brazilian also addressed his own emotion of having come close towards achieving his dream of Premier League football, only for the club’s behaviour to had cost him and the fans that dream.
‘We gave everything for this dream. Day after day, sacrifice after sacrifice, always believing we could bring this club back to where it belongs. For me, the dream of playing in the Premier League was something I fought for with everything I had. That’s why this pain cuts so deep.
‘The hardest part is knowing how much our fans deserved this moment. You stood behind us all season with incredible passion, loyalty and belief. Even in the toughest moments, you carried us forward.
‘Thank you for staying with us through everything, you definitely deserved better ❤️’
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