Ryan Manning and Finn Azaz have withdrawn from the Republic of Ireland squad this week. The FAI confirmed both players were forced to pull out of summer friendlies against Qatar and Canada.
Nobody should be surprised. Both men have just been through something genuinely traumatic.
Spygate did not just cost Southampton a place in the play-off final. It cost players like Manning and Azaz something they cannot get back. A chance at promotion. A chance at Premier League football. And now, it seems, a chance to represent their country at a time when they should have been riding the high of a brilliant season.
The financial hit is real
Manning and Azaz are professionals, but they are not immune to financial reality.
Promotion to the Premier League would have triggered better contracts, bigger wages and the kind of security that every footballer works towards. That has gone now. Through no fault of their own, both players head into the summer knowing their earning potential has taken a serious hit.
Manning has been one of Southampton's most consistent performers all season. Azaz brought energy, creativity and goals from midfield. Both gave everything for a club that was secretly doing things behind the scenes no player knew about.
The anger felt by the dressing room has been well documented. Players have spoken out on social media, and some are reportedly taking legal advice. Manning and Azaz pulling out of international duty suggests the psychological toll is just as heavy as the financial one.
The mental weight of being let down
Pulling out of an international squad is not a small thing. These are proud players who care deeply about representing their country.
The fact both had to withdraw tells you something about where their heads are right now. Processing what happened at Southampton takes time. The grief of having promotion taken away, combined with the shame of learning your club had been cheating, is a lot to carry.
These players trained hard all season. They won matches. They fought for each other. And then they found out the environment around them was rotten at the top.
That kind of betrayal leaves a mark. Withdrawing from international duty is not weakness. It is a completely human response to an awful situation.
Gavin Bazunu and Will Smallbone are also absent from the Ireland squad for different reasons, adding to the sense that this is a group of players scattered and unsettled heading into a summer of real uncertainty.
Spare a thought too for Ross Stewart. The 'Lochness Drogba' now heads into World Cup preparations with Scotland carrying all of this with him. He deserves to go into that tournament with nothing on his mind except football.
Manning, Azaz and Stewart gave everything for Southampton this season.
The least they deserve now is time, space and a little understanding from everyone around them.
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