Southampton boss Tonda Eckert will continue in his role after being handed a six-week ban suspended until the end of next season over the 'Spygate' scandal. Saints were kicked out of the Championship play-off final and docked four points this term having admitted three breaches of EFL regulations after being caught snooping on semi-final opponents Middlesbrough and two other teams.
Eckert accepted full responsibility and was charged by the FA with three breaches of Rule E3.1 in relation to "misconduct". A statement from the governing body read: "Tonda Eckert subsequently admitted the charges, and an independent Regulatory Commission imposed a six-week suspension from all football and football-related activity, which is suspended until the end of the 2027/28 season, a £28,000 fine and a reprimand following a hearing."
The punishment is likely to draw strong opinions from across the game, with Southampton saying in a statement "this now brings a conclusion to a regrettable period of our history". The club, who sit 13th in the Championship, say "measures have been put in place to ensure that such errors in judgement never happen again at our club".
Southampton owner Dragan Solak said: "I'm pleased that the independent panel has come to a decision and that we have an outcome. We have already suffered enough, and we appreciate the panel's recognition of that. I firmly believe that Tonda is one of Europe's most exciting young coaches, and with this distraction removed, I am confident he can lead the team to a successful season."
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing