Southampton manager Tonda Eckert finds out about ‘spygate’ punishment as FA shares strong statement
Southampton manager Tonda Eckert has been given a punishment by an independent Regulatory Commission for breaking FA rules three times.
The trouble started back in July, when the FA said Eckert was involved in the ‘spygate’ scandal. Southampton admitted they had spied on training sessions of Oxford United, Ipswich Town, and Middlesbrough before the play-off semi-final. Because of this, Southampton was kicked out of the Championship play-off final and started this season with a four-point penalty.
After further checks, Eckert received a suspended six-week ban from all football activities, a £28,000 fine, and a warning. An independent disciplinary panel said Eckert had approved the spying, calling it a “planned and deliberate action from the top.”
Eckert apologized but said he didn’t know spying was against the rules and believed it didn’t affect Southampton’s performance last season. The FA disagreed and found him guilty of three rule breaches.
His fine must be paid now, but the six-week ban will only start if he breaks any spying rules again before the end of the 2027/28 season.
The FA said: “Tonda Eckert has been sanctioned for misconduct involving spying on training sessions of Oxford United, Ipswich Town, and Middlesbrough between December 2025 and May 2026. He admitted the charges, and the commission gave him a suspended six-week ban, a £28,000 fine, and a reprimand. The ban will be enforced if he commits any similar rule breaches in the future.”
Southampton released a statement thanking the FA for handling the process and said both the club and Eckert have already suffered a lot, especially after losing their play-off final spot.
They added: “We hope this ends a difficult time for our club. We’ve put steps in place to make sure this doesn’t happen again. We want to thank our fans for their amazing support throughout this. Our fan base is incredible, and we’re excited to move forward together.”
Owner Dragan Solak also spoke up: “I’m glad the panel made a decision. We’ve already faced enough hardship, and we appreciate their understanding. We believe Tonda has learned from this and can keep coaching the team with the suspended ban in place. Tonda is a very talented young coach, and now he can focus on leading us to a great season.”
He continued: “Thanks to the fans for sticking with us when we needed them most. The FA process was fair and gave Tonda a chance to be honest. The EFL process was different, and we won’t forget how they treated us. But now it’s time to look ahead to a bright future for Southampton.”
Southampton’s next match is against Portsmouth on October 11.