Southampton manager Tonda Eckert has escaped a ban following the FA's investigation into Spygate.
The Saints supremo has been handed a six-week expulsion from all football however, the penalty is suspended until the end of next season.
Southampton were thrown out of last season's Championship play-offs after Daily Mail Sport's incredible revelation that they had spied on opponents Middlesbrough at a training session.
The EFL then booted the club out of the play-offs, costing them a place in the Premier League worth a potential £200m, with a panel docking them a further four points.
The FA then launched its own probe, triggering concerns that Eckert could be hit with a lengthy ban.
However, he has instead been given a six-week suspension from all football which is suspended until the end of next season and handed a £28,000 fine and reprimands.
'Southampton Football Club welcomes the outcome of the FA hearing into the events at the end of last season,' a Southampton statement read.
'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.'
Southampton manager Tonda Eckert has been given a six-week suspended ban over the Spygate scandal
Will Salt was spotted at Middlesbrough's training ground before their Championship play-off
Eckert was sanctioned for three breaches relating to spying on the training sessions of Boro, Oxford United and Ipswich Town in 2025 and 2026. Should Eckert repeat the offence, the suspension will be triggered.
Boro went on to lose the play-off final to Hull City, who were promoted.
The FA said that Eckert was the only witness their panel, which included two KCs, heard from and added that he was ‘exceptionally impressive’.
Explaining the Oxford incident, Eckert said that their opponents had sacked Gary Rowett as head coach and appointed Craig Short as interim and that he wanted to see if they were going to play with a back four or a back five so sent someone to watch them train.
In the Ipswich incident, he agreed to receive CCTV footage of them training at National League Eastleigh, ahead of their fixture with his Saints.
With regards to Boro, Eckert told the panel that in a preparation meeting he asked whether it would be possible to find out if Hayden Hackney had resumed training.
‘One of the assistants informed me that Middlesborough FC’s [sic] training ground is located on a golf course which is accessible to the public,’ he added.
‘I said that we should send someone there to see if Hayden Hackney was training. Nobody expressed any reservations or objections to this proposal.
'The exchange took a matter of minutes and then we continued with the meeting. To confirm I did not ask for any videos to be taken of Middlesborough FC’s [sic] training sessions and I did not identify any particular individual to travel to Middlesborough [sic] to identify if Hayden Hackney was training. I do, however, accept that I was wrong to ask for any kind of observations.’
An intern was sent to the venue, who was subsequently spotted by Boro – who complained to the EFL – but not before Eckert had been ‘provided a breakdown of the videos… including the predicted line up.
‘I had already finished preparing for the match,’ he said, ‘but I watched the videos’.
The panel praised Eckert, 33, for his ‘genuine contrition’. He had argued that during his time in Germany and Italy, spying on training sessions of opponents was ‘commonplace’, that he was unaware it was against the rules in England and said that allegations he had bullied younger members of staff into spying were ‘extremely upsetting’, adding that he would have never have forced anyone to do anything to which they had a moral objection, let alone a breach of the rules.
The panel found there was no ‘systemic or organised course of action’ with regards to spying, and found ‘considerable mitigation’ with regards to Eckert who had shown ‘deep and meaningful’ remorse and ‘learned lessons’.
May 7 — Daily Mail Sport reveals the spying allegation
Daily Mail Sport reported that a Southampton first-team analyst had allegedly been caught hiding in bushes near Middlesbrough's training ground while recording a session ahead of their Championship play-off semi-final. The incident became known as 'Spygate 2.0'.
May 8 — Southampton are charged by the EFL
The EFL charged Southampton with breaching regulations requiring clubs to act in 'the utmost good faith' and prohibiting them from observing an opponent's training within 72 hours of a match. The report identified the suspected spy as a junior intern and said he had allegedly deleted footage before leaving the site.
May 10 — Southampton manager refuses to discuss the affair
Manager Tonda Eckert walked out of a tense post-match press conference after refusing to answer questions about the spying allegations, while Middlesbrough's manager publicly criticised Southampton.
May 13 — Evidence emerges of the suspected operation
Daily Mail Sport published an image apparently showing the Southampton analyst hiding behind a tree and filming Middlesbrough's training. The report also raised questions about a possible paper trail linking the operation to the club.
May 14–15 — EFL signals Southampton could be removed from the play-offs
The EFL confirmed that Southampton could be expelled from the play-offs, with a disciplinary hearing scheduled just days before the final. Middlesbrough then called publicly for Southampton to be removed from the competition, describing expulsion as the 'only appropriate response'.
May 19 — Southampton are expelled from the play-off final
An independent disciplinary commission expelled Southampton from the Championship play-offs and imposed a four-point deduction for the following season. Southampton admitted spying on Middlesbrough and two other opponents — Oxford United and Ipswich Town — while Middlesbrough were reinstated to face Hull City in the final.
May 20–21 — Southampton lose their appeal and player anger surfaces
Southampton's appeal against expulsion was rejected, confirming that Middlesbrough would take their place in the Wembley final. Southampton players publicly expressed their anger and disappointment, while the potential loss of promotion bonuses prompted reports that some could consider legal action against the club.
June 1–2 — Leaked messages intensify scrutiny of the club
A leaked WhatsApp exchange appeared to show an intern being praised after a spying mission, with the message: 'You legend. Manager loved it!'. The revelations raised fresh questions about pressure placed on junior staff and Eckert's knowledge of the operations.
July 22 — The FA charges Tonda Eckert
The FA charged Eckert with three breaches of its misconduct rules relating to spying on opposition training. Daily Mail Sport reported that he was expected to cooperate with the investigation and could face a lengthy ban if found guilty.
September 21 — Southampton seek leniency ahead of the FA hearing
Southampton asked the FA to take into account the punishment already imposed by the EFL — expulsion from the play-offs and a four-point deduction — as Eckert's disciplinary hearing approached. The club acknowledged that staff had been sent to observe Oxford, Ipswich and Middlesbrough training sessions.
October 7 – Eckert is handed a suspended six-week ban by the FA
Southampton owner Dragan Solak added: '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.
'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.'
Before the verdict, Southampton had already lined up former Wolves and Middlesbrough boss Rob Edwards to potentially step in if Eckert's ban was lengthy.
Eckert had pleaded for sympathetic handling, telling the BBC this week that the club have already had a 'big, big punishment' while Saints chief executive Phil Parsons said: 'What we hope as a club is they (the FA panel) actually recognise where we are at the moment, and what we've already been through, because I think it has to be taken into account.
'I really feel like we've taken enough. We've been hurt. I think it's one of the largest sanctions ever when it comes to football, or even sporting, history.'
Source: Sport
