Ben Gibson reacts as Middlesbrough replace Southampton in play-off final | OneFootball

The former Boro captain has joined a host of others in reacting to the news.

The football world has been reacting to the most extraordinary news that Southampton have been kicked out of the Championship play-offs.

Tonda Eckert's side defeated Middlesbrough over two legs in the semi-finals, but their victory was overshadowed by spying allegations after a member of Saints staff was caught observing Kim Hellberg's training session ahead of the first leg at the Riverside Stadium.

The South Coast outfit were expelled from the play-offs and replaced with Boro, who will now face Hull City in the final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

It is fair to say that the news has gone down particularly well with those of a Middlesbrough persuasion, and now their former captain, Ben Gibson, has reacted to the news.

Ben Gibson applauds Middlesbrough play-off decision

Kim Hellberg and his side quite rightly felt aggrieved after they were defeated by a team that had been caught spying on their training session, gaining an unfair advantage ahead of the two-legged semi-final.

However, even though they had been eliminated, they sniffed a chance of being reinstated, as an independent commission decided on Southampton's punishment.

Chairman Steve Gibson hired a leading football lawyer while Boro have carried on training, just in case they were to be reinstated into the play-offs.

Now, Middlesbrough are preparing for the final against Hull in what must be regarded as the story of all stories in football this year.

The Teesside outfit released a statement on Instagram welcoming the outcome of the disciplinary commission hearing, highlighting how it sent a clear message for the future of the game regarding sporting integrity and conduct.

With the club's focus now turning to the final, Gibson reacted to the post with three applause emojis in the comments section that was swamped with replies.

Could there be another twist in Spygate drama?

Given that Southampton have appealed the decision, there could yet be another dramatic twist before the final on Saturday.

It has been reported that the Saints are confident that the decision will be overturned, given that Leeds United were only given a fine of £200,000 for spying on Derby County's training session in 2019, but things have changed since then.

When Marcelo Bielsa's team were punished, there was only one rule in place that they had breached, while a separate rule was introduced later to deter clubs from taking similar action again.

That decision is set to be revealed by tonight at the latest, given that the final between Boro and Hull is scheduled to take place on Saturday.

If the South Coasters are successful in their appeal, then the final could be delayed until Tuesday or Wednesday next week, which would surely infuriate fans who have already got their hands on tickets.

For now, the Teessiders may be celebrating, but they would be wise to keep their hopes on hold just in case there is another twist.