Southampton manager, Tonda Eckert has been handed a suspended six-week ban until the conclusion of 2027-28 season.
Eckert’s suspended six-week ban has brought an end to a near four-month spygate scandal after a Southampton employee was caught spying on Middlesbrough just two days before the first leg of their Championship Play-Off.
The first leg ultimately ended goalless before Southampton prevailed on aggregate with a 2-1 second-leg victory at home, only to be expelled from the Play-Off Final and Middlesbrough reinstated but they lost to Hull in the showpiece match to miss out on promotion.
Following further investigation which included two other cases of spying incidents which came to light during the EFL investigation, the FA charged Eckert for his role in events but he has now been given a suspended six-week ban from football until the end of the 2027-28 season.
Eckert also has been fined £28,000 and given a reprimand for his role in the scandal.
Southampton subsequently issued a club statement welcoming the conclusion of the scandal.
“Southampton Football Club welcomes the outcome of the FA hearing into the events at the end of last season.
“We hope this now brings a conclusion to a regrettable period of our history and measures have been put in place to ensure that such errors in judgement never happen again at our club.
“We want to take this opportunity to thank the supporters for their unconditional backing throughout this process. Our fan base is unmatched, and we are excited to move forward together towards a bright future.”
Club owner, Dragan Solak added that the Saints had already endured suffering throughout the scandal and its aftermath, whilst publicly backing Eckert to lead the team to promotion.
“I’m pleased that the independent panel has come to a decision and that we have an outcome. We have already suffered enough, and we appreciate the panel’s recognition of that.
“We are confident the manager has learned from this matter, and a suspended sentence allows him to continue in his role. I firmly believe that Tonda is one of Europe’s most exciting young coaches, and with this distraction removed, I am confident he can lead the team to a successful season.
“I’d like to thank our fans for standing by us and showing the team so much support during a time when we have needed them more than ever.”
Solak however couldn’t resist a cold-blooded swipe at the EFL as he continued: “The FA process has been a positive experience. Tonda has been given the opportunity to be open and honest with the panel, and the panel has been able to see that he is simply a good person who made poor decisions.
“The same cannot be said for the EFL process, and the way they have subsequently treated us is not something we will forget. However, now is the time to look forward to what I believe will be a great future for our club.”
Southampton will meet Middlesbrough on Friday 27 November at St Mary’s Stadium in their first clash since the scandal, with the match broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK with kick-off set for 8pm GMT.
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