The Sports Guru
Southampton thought Spygate had been settled with a play-off ban and a points deduction. Now the FA has charged head coach Tonda Eckert personally, and this piece explains what he's accused of, what's already been decided against him, and what he still stands to lose.
Southampton could be forgiven for thinking Spygate was filed away: a play-off expulsion, a four-point deduction hanging over next season, an apology issued and absorbed. The Football Association has other ideas. It has charged head coach Tonda Eckert with misconduct over his role in the scandal, and the case against the club has just become a case against the man who ran it.
Three charges, one rule
The FA has charged Eckert with three breaches of rule E3.1 relating to misconduct between December 2025 and May 2026. It alleges the head coach "acted in an improper manner and/or brought the game into disrepute" by directing or authorising the observation of training sessions belonging to Oxford United and Ipswich Town, and by filming Middlesbrough before Southampton's play-off semi-final against them. Eckert has until next Tuesday to respond.
Why the club could move on and the man can't
The distinction matters. The English Football League, which expelled Southampton from the play-offs in May after the club admitted spying on the three clubs, can only act against its member clubs. It has no power over individuals. The FA does, and it can hand out bans. An independent disciplinary commission had already found that the espionage was authorised by Eckert, describing it as a "contrived and determined plan from the top down". That ruling settled Southampton's punishment. It did not settle his.
Southampton had beaten Middlesbrough over two legs before their expulsion; Boro were reinstated to the final in their place and went on to lose to Hull City. Southampton's own reckoning arrives before a ball is even kicked next season - the club starts the 2026-27 Championship campaign with a four-point deduction, opening away at Watford on 16 August.
The rise that made the fall notable
Eckert's ascent is what made Spygate a story rather than a footnote. Southampton sacked Will Still on 2 November with the club 21st, three points outside the relegation zone and one win from 13 games. Eckert, then 32 and running the under-21s having arrived at St Mary's in July 2025 to replace a Chelsea-bound Calum McFarlane, stepped up on an interim basis that became permanent within a month. His career up to that point had largely been in youth football - in his homeland with Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig, and helping Red Bull Salzburg's under-18s win the Uefa Youth League - plus 15 months as Barnsley's number two and three years as assistant boss at Genoa, where he crossed paths with Southampton's sporting director, Johannes Spors.
What followed was the Championship's form story of the season. Eckert won manager of the month for February, March and April, and Southampton finished within four points of the automatic promotion places.
Southampton won 68 points after Eckert took charge - one more than champions Coventry City managed across the whole division in that span. Then, 48 hours before the first leg against Middlesbrough, an intern analyst was found observing Boro's training session, and the club's promotion push collapsed into the scandal now under FA scrutiny.
Solak's backing, Eckert's contrition
Southampton owner Dragan Solak told BBC Sport in June that he would not sack Eckert despite what he called the head coach's "mistake", arguing the club had already been punished enough. The club's statement on the new charges struck the same note, saying it and Eckert "acknowledge today's charges" and would "continue to co-operate fully and openly with the FA", adding that "the club remains fully supportive of Tonda and his staff" as it prepares for next season.
Eckert himself has already spoken publicly about his part in it. Telling BBC Radio Solent it had been "tough to read some of the things that are out there," he added: "I am responsible and I apologise for bad judgement." The FA's charges now ask whether that acknowledgement is enough, or whether personal misconduct proceedings will demand something beyond an apology before Eckert takes his side into a Championship season that starts with points already gone.
Frequently Asked Questions
The FA has charged him with three breaches of rule E3.1, alleging misconduct between December 2025 and May 2026 for directing or authorising the observation of training sessions involving Oxford United, Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough.
The club was expelled from the Championship play-offs in May and will start the 2026-27 season with a four-point deduction.
The FA can punish individuals and hand out bans, unlike the EFL, which can only act against member clubs. Any sanction against Eckert has not yet been decided.
He has until next Tuesday to respond, according to the FA.
Yes. Dragan Solak told BBC Sport in June that he would not sack Eckert despite what he called the head coach's mistake.
Research: Our wider editorial research consults online reporting from BBC Sport, Sky Sports, The Guardian and other reputable sources. Story inspiration: BBC Sport's original report.