Southampton FC: Tonda Eckert questions Spygate scandal 'truth' | OneFootball

Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert has hit out at some of what he claims is inaccurate reporting of the Spygate affair.

Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert has insisted that some of the media reporting of the Spygate affair has been inaccurate.

After a fourth-placed finish in the Championship last season, Southampton booked their place in the play-off final with a 2-1 aggregate victory over Middlesbrough in their semi-final tie, but that was far from the end of the story.

Tonda Eckert facing nervous Southampton wait as Spygate fallout continues

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Ahead of the semi-final first leg at the Riverside Stadium, it emerged that Southampton had sent an intern to observe Middlesbrough's training session.

In addition to the surveillance mission on Boro, the Saints also admitted to spying on two further opponents, Oxford United and Ipswich Town, during the regular season, which led to the club being removed from the play-off final and handed a four-point deduction for the upcoming season.

While Southampton owner Dragan Solak has offered Eckert his full backing, the 33-year-old was charged with misconduct by the FA following their investigation into the Spygate scandal, with some reports suggesting that he could be facing a six-month ban.

Eckert revealed last week that the potential punishment is "in the back of my mind", while he watched his side's recent pre-season friendly against German side Preussen Münster from the stands in preparation for a possible touchline ban.

However, as things stand, Eckert is yet to receive any sanction, and he will take charge of Southampton when they travel to League Two outfit Colchester United in the EFL Cup first round on Saturday, with their Championship season getting underway at Watford next weekend.

Tonda Eckert hits out at Spygate lies as Dragan Solak claim made

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While Eckert has apologised for his role in Spygate, the German has slammed some of what he described as incorrect media reporting of the situation and thanked Solak for standing by him rather than caving to external pressure to sack him.

"The owner has the right to take consequences," Eckert said at a fans forum hosted by BBC Radio Solent.

"At that time, it would have been right for me to accept they would go in a different direction."

"There has been a lot out in the media and I haven't done a lot of interviews," Eckert continued.

"There has been an image created that I think is very far away from the truth.

"If you have a chance to look behind the curtain, the image looks very different. It means a lot that the owner wasn't swayed by public opinion but looked at what actually happened.

"He [Solak] has taken his decision and I am very grateful for that."

Dragan Solak should be praised for strong Tonda Eckert, Southampton stance

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With the FA charges still looming, it remains to be seen whether Eckert will remain in charge of Southampton, but even though the decision may ultimately be taken out of his hands, Solak has shown strong and decisive leadership over the summer.

Solak provided Eckert with his clear and unequivocal backing in early June to firmly shut down the rumours about his potential sacking, and that has allowed the Saints to prepare properly for the upcoming season, including getting a number of transfer deals over the line.

Some will argue that, having been kicked out of the play-off final and given a four-point deduction, Southampton have already been punished enough for Spygate, while others will claim that Eckert deserves an individual punishment, and we may not have to wait too much longer to discover whether there will be any further consequences.