Southampton manager Eckert avoids immediate ban over spying scandal

Southampton manager Tonda Eckert will remain in charge after an independent Football Association commission imposed a six-week ban that is suspended until the end of the 2027-28 season. The German coach was also fined £28,000 and reprimanded for three breaches of FA Rule E3.1. The suspended ban means Eckert would be barred from all football and football-related activity if he were involved in another spying incident before the suspension expires.

The BBC reported that the FA had sought a three-month ban, while the commission gave significant weight to what it described as Eckert’s genuine contrition. Southampton admitted that surveillance had been carried out before matches against Oxford United, Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough. The club’s conduct had already brought substantial sporting penalties: the EFL removed Southampton from the Championship play-offs in May and imposed a four-point deduction for the current season.

The EFL commission previously found that the operation had been authorised by Eckert and described it as a plan directed “from the top down”. The FA commission, however, said it had no hesitation in rejecting the suggestion of a systemic or organised course of conduct. It accepted Eckert’s evidence that he did not know the actions breached EFL rules or were morally wrong.

The individual episodes also received different treatment. According to the BBC, Southampton sought information about whether Oxford would use a back four or back five under a new manager. In the Ipswich case, the commission accepted that Eckert had not initiated the attempt to obtain CCTV footage of a training session.

The mission involving Middlesbrough was intended to establish whether midfielder Hayden Hackney was fit. The Middlesbrough operation became public after William Salt, then a temporary Southampton first-team analyst, was spotted filming near the club’s training ground. The Guardian reported that Salt was pursued into hotel toilets and was identified after using a bank card at a nearby hotel.

The newspaper said he has since taken an academy analyst role at Southampton. The commission described Eckert as an impressive witness who had reflected deeply on the affair. It also accepted that a three-month ban could have cost him his job, creating what it called an additional sanction for Southampton.

The club welcomed the decision, saying measures had been introduced to prevent a repeat, while owner Dragan Solak said the club had suffered enough. The case follows the 2019 Leeds incident, after which the EFL fined the club £200,000 and introduced a rule prohibiting observation of a rival’s training within 72 hours of a match. The Guardian also cited the one-year Fifa ban imposed on Canada coach Bev Priestman after staff filmed a New Zealand session at the 2024 Olympics.

The FA has not confirmed whether it will appeal Eckert’s punishment.