'What the hell is this?' - Dragan Solak drops Southampton Spygate revelation | OneFootball

Southampton owner Dragan Solak has broken his silence on the 'Spygate' scandal and Tonda Eckert's future with the Championship club

Southampton owner Dragan Solak has publicly discussed the now-infamous 'Spygate' saga and Tonda Eckert's future with the club for the first time following the Saints' shock expulsion from the Championship play-off final two weeks ago.

The scandal rocked English football after Southampton were found to have sent a junior analyst to spy on Middlesbrough ahead of the first-legged play-off semi-final encounter at the Riverside Stadium, which ended in a 0-0 draw before Eckert's side triumphed 2-1 at St Mary's Stadium to progress to Wembley against Hull City.

However, further details regarding the case would soon emerge, with Eckert playing a leading role in more than one breach of the EFL's 127th regulation - prohibiting clubs from observing an opponent's training session 72 hours before a game.

Southampton were ultimately expelled from Wembley just days before what is widely-billed as the richest game in club football, worth an estimated £200 million, after the revelation of separate breaches ahead of previous clashes with Oxford United and Ipswich Town forced the EFL to take immediate action while sanctioning a four-point deduction for the 2026/27 campaign.

Middlesbrough would take the Saints' place and ended up losing out by one goal to nil at the hands of Sergej Jakirovic's men, though the post-Spygate fall-out has persisted.

Eckert, who was only appointed as Southampton boss in November of last year after replacing Will Still following his initial arrival to lead the club's under-21 side the previous summer, initially appeared poised to face dismissal on the south coast. Immediate reports suggested that players were considering legal action owing to lost promotion bonuses and salary increases in the event of missing out on promotion, too, although there has been a seeming change of mood around the club in recent times.

The German's future in Hampshire is still unclear amid ongoing charges from the FA, which could result in a lengthy ban from football, but the stance of Solak has now emerged in a huge update that is sure to divide opinion both in and out of Southampton.

Dragan Solak's Spygate reaction and Tonda Eckert sack stance

Solak himself, of course, lost out on a stunning £200 million windfall for the club as a consequence of the actions of Eckert and others, which have caused significant reputational damage alongside both footballing and, by extension, financial sanctions.

The 61-year-old finally decided to break his silence on Monday after it was revealed that a junior member of staff alleged that Eckert's demands had placed them under what was described as "extreme pressure" to perform a task they felt was morally wrong and against the good nature of the game.

It's a messy saga that questions the footballing and moral integrity of those involved in equal measure, but Solak is sticking to his guns. The Serbian businessman, who has owned Southampton since Sport Republic's takeover of the club in January 2022, detailed his initial reaction after the news broke, telling BBC Sport that he was "completely devastated."

Solak reacted by messaging members of staff. 'What the hell is this?' he asked. The first reply was almost like a joke, meaning even people I talk to at the high level of the club didn't know what was going on. It was a joke."

His stance on Eckert has been made clearer in spite of such frustrations, though, and the ex-Barnsley coach is now set to have his position retained by Solak.

He said of Eckert's future at Southampton: "I think he deserves a second chance and I would give it to him. My full support would be behind him, actually.

"I think he's a super-talented manager. I believe Tonda that he didn't know that it was the rule that he was breaking.

"My personal opinion, and the opinion of the board, is that he is a manager who deserves to be backed by us and to be supported by us.

"I will obviously seek advice from the team. I will seek advice from the players, from the fans. But yes, if it's ultimately my decision, he stays.

"In Italy or in Germany, where Tonda was working, this is basically common practice that nobody cares about.

"I told him: 'You almost broke my heart. You do it again, you'll kill me. The next time I see you in July, if you don't know the EFL book of rules by heart, you can't work for me, because we can't have another mistake.'"

"I truly hope that he will learn from this experience and he will achieve an incredible career."

Tonda Eckert's Southampton future could be out of Dragan Solak's hands

Though Eckert retains the backing and support of Solak and co, that's not to say that his future at Southampton is guaranteed quite just yet.

That's because, of course, a potential charge still looms from the FA which, according to reports, could potentially incur a ban from football for between six and 18 months. Exactly how likely that is remains unclear at this moment in time, and so too does Eckert's future.

Eckert is sure to have no shortage of suitors in the event of a potential departure from Southampton, even if he's banned from managing in England, and Solak admitted what he would do in that scenario.

The Serbian added: "I can support him even if he's banned, but I can't make him manage if he's banned.

"My support comes from a very simple legal situation where there is no double jeopardy. Whatever crime you did, you can be sentenced only once.

"I think we were 'over-sentenced'. The punishment that the club received was severe and completely disproportionate to the mistake that we made. We lost our chance to win £200 million.

"If they're going to go again and double that with a ban, we might appeal. He will have my support through the process, but if he's banned, he's banned.

"I mean, I can't put somebody to manage the club if he is not allowed."