Taylor Harwood-Bellis says he regrets taunting Middlesbrough players after Southampton’s play-off semi-final win, admitting he would not have done it if he had known the full severity of the club’s punishment.
Harwood-Bellis posted his statement on Instagram after Southampton were removed from the play-offs following the club’s admission that it spied on three clubs, including Middlesbrough, during the Championship campaign and post-season. The EFL dismissed Southampton’s appeal, leaving the club in the Championship next season with a four-point deduction.
In the second leg of the semi-final, Shea Charles scored in extra-time to send Southampton through to Wembley at the time. After the final whistle, Harwood-Bellis appeared to mimic a pair of binoculars toward Middlesbrough midfielder Aidan Morris, a gesture he now says was meant only as “a bit of fun” in a moment when the players were not informed about the wider issue.
“As players, we are absolutely gutted, disappointed, and heartbroken that it’s come to this,” he wrote. “We worked so hard as a group to provide the football that you fans deserve.” He added that the fallout had only “fuelled our comeback” for those involved in the relegation battle, while saying he would never have acted the way he did had he known how serious the situation was.
Southampton’s appeal against the rulings was dismissed by the EFL, ending any chance of restoring the club to the play-offs. The sanction leaves the team to open next season in the second tier with a four-point deduction, a steep price after a campaign that had briefly carried them back into the promotion race.
Harwood-Bellis was a key player for Southampton this season, making 48 appearances across all competitions and contributing seven goals and three assists. He said the squad could still be proud of the way it battled through a difficult Championship season and thanked supporters for standing by the team after a poor start to the campaign.
“As fans, you’ve been unbelievable, our unbeaten run was driven by your passionate support,” he wrote. “We didn’t start the season strongly, yet you still stood by us and believed in every single one of us.”
For Southampton, the punishment has turned what had been a promotion push into a season defined by regret. For Harwood-Bellis, the taunt that once looked like a celebration now sits inside a much larger collapse, one that will follow the club into next season.
