Southampton's new FA hope as Tonda Eckert Spygate ban saga rolls on | OneFootball

Tonda Eckert is still awaiting a final verdict from the FA after being charged in July for his role in the club's spying scandal

Southampton are hopeful that a final decision will be made regarding the Football Association’s charge against Tonda Eckert during the September international break.

According to talkSPORT, the club are seeking a resolution to his ongoing saga in the three-week gap in the club calendar coming up later this month.

The calendar has been altered for 2026/27 to extend the September break by an additional week, which has removed one of the later international windows later in the year.

This will give clubs three weeks between games, which offers a lot of time to implement significant changes on and off the pitch, and it could prove an ideal time for certain teams to bring in a new head coach.

The Saints have made a positive start to the new campaign, but Eckert’s position remains uncertain after he was charged by the FA for his role in the spying scandal.

But he is still awaiting a final outcome on a potential punishment, with the threat of a ban from football hanging over his head.

Southampton’s Tonda Eckert hope

Action Images

It’s hoped at Southampton that the Eckert fiasco can be closed in September during the international break.

The Saints have already suffered expulsion from last season’s play-offs, and started this campaign with a four-point deduction penalty as a consequence of the spying scandal.

The Hampshire outfit were found guilty of breaching the EFL’s rules against spying on opposition teams’ training sessions, but the FA have also investigated the matter separately.

This led to Eckert being charged by FA in July, with a decision expected soon on a possible punishment.

Bev Priestman was handed a one-year ban from football by FIFA for her role in a similar scandal that rocked the Canada women’s team at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, but it remains to be seen what consequences the German may face.

Tonda Eckert’s Southampton future

Owner Dragan Solak stuck with Eckert in the immediate aftermath of Southampton’s expulsion from the play-offs last season.

And the 33-year-old has overseen the start of the new campaign after leading the Hampshire outfit to fourth in the table in 2025/26.

The Saints are currently eighth in the table, winning four of their opening seven fixtures, drawing twice, to leave them with a total of 10 points.

Next up for Southampton is a trip to face Wrexham on 19 September in a 3pm kick-off.

Action Images

Everybody is ready for Tonda Eckert resolution

The spying scandal rocked the Championship at the end of last season, but it is now into the following campaign, and everyone is ready for a resolution so that we can all move on.

It was surprising that Eckert remained in charge in the immediate aftermath of their expulsion, but it’s apparent now that Solak is willing to stick with Eckert long-term.

It would be a big blow for the club if he was given a ban from football of any significant length, and it could necessitate a temporary head coach solution, which won’t be easy to manage.

But at this point, that outcome would now seem an extreme punishment from the FA, who don’t necessarily have to follow the precedent set by FIFA in 2024, particularly when Marcelo Bielsa avoided a ban from football for a similar incident in the Championship in 2019.