Southampton manager Tonda Eckert will remain in charge after being handed a six-week suspension, which has been deferred until the end of next season, over the club’s Spygate scandal.
Eckert has also been fined £28,000 after admitting to FA misconduct charges linked to the unauthorised filming of training sessions belonging to Oxford United, Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough between December and May last season.
The Football Association charged the Southampton boss in July with misconduct and conduct capable of bringing the game into disrepute. He subsequently admitted the offences.
Southampton were previously expelled from the Championship play-offs by the EFL and given a four-point deduction for the 2026/27 season after admitting to multiple breaches involving the filming of opponents’ training sessions.
The controversy escalated after Southampton defeated Middlesbrough in the play-off semi-final and were scheduled to face Hull City in the final. Middlesbrough were later reinstated after the EFL ruling.
Southampton appealed against the sanctions, but the decision was upheld by a League Arbitration Panel.
The EFL's disciplinary process was limited to action against clubs and did not allow it to charge individual officials. The FA subsequently opened its own investigation after allowing the EFL proceedings to conclude.
Tonda Eckert, 33, is a German coach who took an unconventional route into senior management, having had no significant professional playing career.
He began working as an analyst with the German national team while still a university student and was involved in preparations for Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup.
His coaching career has included academy roles at Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig, while he also helped Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg's Under-18s win the UEFA Youth League.
He later worked as an assistant coach at Barnsley and Italian club Genoa before joining Southampton in July 2025 as their Under-21 head coach.
Eckert was promoted to Southampton's first team in November 2025 following the departure of Will Still. His strong run of results saw him appointed permanently in December on a contract running until 2027.
He won three consecutive Championship Manager of the Month awards for February, March and April as Southampton mounted a dramatic push for promotion.
Despite the Spygate controversy, Southampton's owner Dragan Solak decided to retain Eckert, saying the coach deserved a second chance after acknowledging his mistake.
