Tonda Eckert has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association for orchestrating the spying scandal that saw Southampton being kicked out of the Championship playoff final.
- Football Association alleges Tonda Eckert authorised observation of training sessions for Oxford United FC, Ipswich Town FC, Middlesbrough FC.
- Tonda Eckert faces three misconduct counts, has until 28 July to respond; the FA could impose penalties including a one-year ban.
- An independent commission found Southampton "seriously violated" competition integrity, costing them promotion opportunity after an analyst attended Middlesbrough FC training.
- Tonda Eckert apologised in a video, claiming spying on rivals' training is common in Germany and he was ignorant of EFL rules.
- Dragan Solak wants to keep Eckert leading the club; Southampton were also docked four points in next season's Championship.
The FA announced action against the 33-year-old German, who has accepted “full responsibility” for sending club staff to observe training sessions of three opponents, on Wednesday, confirming he is facing three counts of misconduct and has until 28 July to provide responses.
“It’s alleged that the head coach acted in an improper manner and/or brought the game into disrepute by directing and/or authorising the observation of training sessions of Oxford United FC, Ipswich Town FC and Middlesbrough FC ahead of fixtures between these clubs and Southampton FC in December 2025, April 2026 and May 2026 respectively,” read a statement from the FA, who could impose a range of punishments on Eckert, including a one-year ban.
Southampton were denied the chance to win promotion after an independent disciplinary commission found the club “seriously violated” the integrity of the competition after sending an analyst to Middlesbrough on the eve of their playoff semi-final first leg.
Eckert had also ordered analysts to spy on Oxford United and Ipswich during the regular season. He apologised to fans for his actions in a video broadcast on Tuesday, and repeated his claims that spying on rivals’ training sessions is common practice in his native Germany and that he was ignorant of the rules outlawing spying led to the English Football League (EFL).
Eckert joined Southampton as Under-21s manager last summer before taking over the first team in the autumn and quickly turned around the relegated Premier League club’s fortunes, steering them from a the lower rungs of the Championship table to the play-offs.
The Southampton owner, Dragan Solak, has said he wants the German head coach to lead the club into the Premier League next season. He wants wants to “close the chapter and look ahead together as one, including Tonda and his staff”. Saints have also been deducted four points in the Championship next season.
In 2019, the FA issued formal warnings to the then Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa and a club analyst for spying on Derby, but English football’s governing body said it would “take appropriate action should further evidence of this nature come to light.”
