Bombshell update emerges in Southampton FC's Spygate scandal | OneFootball

Southampton are still suffering from the fallout of their spying scandal

Southampton are facing the fallout of being expelled from the play-offs by the EFL.

The league charged the Saints for spying, with an independent commission coming to a decision to throw the club out of the competition for promotion to the Premier League.

It was alleged by Middlesbrough that they had caught a member of staff from the Hampshire outfit filming their pre-match training session ahead of the first leg of their semi-final clash.

Boro provided photographic evidence of a man standing by a tree with a phone that was taking footage of their training ground in the build-up to the two clubs meeting at the Riverside.

Tonda Eckert’s side had won 2-1 on aggregate against the Teesside outfit, but their hopes of a return to the top flight are now over after they also lost on appeal.

Kim Hellberg’s team have taken their place, and will face Hull City this weekend with both clubs looking to return to the Premier League for the first time since 2017.

EFL release written reasons for Southampton’s play-off expulsion

The EFL have released their written reasons for the decision to expel Southampton from the play-offs in which they dismissed evidence brought forward by the club that the information gained from spying wasn’t used to inform their strategy for the three matches in which they admitted to using these tactics.

The Saints admitted to spying on Oxford United, Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough, with Eckert receiving criticism from the commission for his active involvement in the practice, as well as his defence that he was unaware of the EFL’s rules prohibiting spying.

“It involved far more than innocent activity and a particularly deplorable approach in its use of junior members of staff to conduct the clandestine observations at the direction of senior personnel,” wrote the commission, via the Daily Mail.

“There was transmission and internal dissemination and analysis of footage and observations.

“The Commission is not persuaded that this is an exceptional case in which there is evidence that no use was made of the material and therefore no sporting advantage.

“The Commission consider that the evidence demonstrates that the output of the observations fed into analysis conducted by the team, it was discussed with Mr Eckert and others and it was sought so as to inform the strategy for the match.

“Mr Eckert accepted, as he must, that information such as team selection and injuries is sensitive information which a club would wish to keep private in the build up to a game. He also accepted that he had specifically authorised the observations to obtain information about formation (in the Oxford incident) and about the availability of a key player (in the Middlesbrough incident).

“We were unimpressed by suggestions on the part of some of (Southampton’s) witnesses that they were unaware that these actions were in breach of the Rules.

“(Southampton) is a member of the EFL and has agreed to be bound by the Rules.”

Eckert’s position at Southampton is now under threat as a result of this scandal, with the 33-year-old also facing a potential ban from football.

The Football Association have opened an investigation into the individuals involved in the case, with the commission’s written reasons for their verdict implicating the 33-year-old as being heavily involved in the practice of spying.

Eckert took on his first role in management when he replaced Will Still on an interim basis last November.

He quickly earned the permanent position after just a few weeks, and he guided the Hampshire outfit to a fourth place finish in the Championship table.

But it has been reported that Eckert’s position is now in jeopardy, and that he could be dismissed by the club due to the level of anger he is facing.

Southampton have also been handed a four point deduction penalty for next season, putting them bottom of the table before a ball has even been kicked.

Tonda Eckert’s career in management could never recover from Southampton case

Eckert had quickly built a strong reputation as a promising young coach for his work at Southampton, but this scandal has undone all of that.

The 33-year-old will find it difficult for prospective new clubs to trust him, if he ever intends to get back into management once the fallout of this case is over.

The threat of a ban from football from the FA is ruinous for his career, and the independent commission’s written reasons outline a picture that doesn’t paint Eckert in a positive light.

Defending his position by claiming he wasn’t aware of the rules was a lame excuse, and it’s no surprise that the commission strongly dismissed it as part of the hearing.