Tonda Eckert is free to continue as Southampton manager after being given a suspended ban for his role in the Spygate scandal. A Football Association (FA) independent regulatory commission handed the German a six-week ban from all football, but suspended it until the end of next season. Eckert has also been given a £28,000 fine and reprimand but avoided a lengthy ban that could have cost him his job. The FA had proposed a three-month ban, but the commission gave credit to Eckert for what they called "considerable mitigation in this matter, most particularly around the genuine contrition".
The FA is yet to confirm whether it will appeal. In a statement, Southampton welcomed the decision. "We hope this now brings a conclusion to a regrettable period of our history, and measures have been put in place to ensure that such errors in judgement never happen again at our club," the club said. Saints owner Dragan Solak said the club had "already suffered enough". "We appreciate the panel's recognition of that," he said. "We are confident the manager has learned from this matter, and a suspended sentence allows him to continue in his role."
Saints were expelled from the Championship play-offs in May after admitting spying on training sessions involving Oxford United, Ipswich Town, and Middlesbrough before the play-off semi-final. They were also handed a four-point deduction for this season. An English Football League (EFL) independent disciplinary commission ruled at the time the espionage was authorised by Eckert and was a "contrived and determined plan from the top down". The 33-year-old apologised in June - claiming he was unaware the practice was banned and that it had no impact on his team's performances - but the FA charged him with misconduct.
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing