Southampton manager Tonda Eckert has been handed a suspended six-week ban and fined £28,000 for his role in the club's spying scandal.
An independent Football Association regulatory commission ruled that Eckert committed three breaches of FA Rule E3.1 following Southampton's involvement in the so-called Spygate affair.
Suspension deferred until next season
The six-week suspension from all football activity has been suspended until the end of next season, meaning Eckert can continue as Southampton boss.
However, the ban would be triggered if he is found to have been involved in any further spying between now and the end of the 2026/27 campaign.
The 33-year-old has also received a reprimand following an FA hearing held at the end of September.
Southampton owner Dragan Solak said: "We have already suffered enough, and we appreciate the panel’s recognition of that."
Spying during play-off campaign
Eckert was charged by the FA in July after Southampton admitted spying on training sessions involving Oxford United, Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough before their Championship play-off campaign.
The Saints were expelled from the play-offs and handed a four-point deduction for this season.
An EFL independent disciplinary commission previously ruled that the spying had been authorised by Eckert and described it as a "contrived and determined plan from the top down".
Eckert apologised publicly in June, saying he had been unaware that the practice was prohibited. He also insisted the spying had no impact on Southampton's performances.
The German was appointed permanent Southampton manager in December 2025 after initially taking interim charge with the club 21st in the Championship.
He guided them to fourth place and the play-offs, but their season ended with the club being expelled from the competition following the spying investigation.
Details of the spying operation
The EFL investigation found that Southampton had used junior members of staff to conduct the spying operation "at the direction of senior personnel".
An arbitration panel also heard that a junior analyst intern had felt under "extreme pressure".
One of the incidents occurred on May 7, when Middlesbrough were preparing for their Championship play-off match against Southampton at their Rockliffe Park training base.
Southampton intern William Salt is understood to have parked at a nearby golf club before walking to an elevated area overlooking the training ground.
He was reportedly seen pointing his mobile phone towards the session while wearing in-ear headphones. Middlesbrough staff believed he may have been livestreaming the training session via a video call.
A member of the Middlesbrough staff approached Salt, who reportedly refused to identify himself before deleting material from his phone and running towards the golf club.
Middlesbrough reported the incident to the EFL, which charged Southampton with breaching regulations requiring clubs to act towards one another with the utmost good faith and prohibiting them from observing an opponent's training within 72 hours of a scheduled match.
The investigation later established that Southampton had also watched training sessions involving Oxford and Ipswich.
The Saints lost 2-1 at Oxford, drew 2-2 with Ipswich and drew 0-0 at Middlesbrough.
Salt has since been given a permanent role within Southampton's academy.
Southampton chief executive Phil Parsons said the youngster had been through a difficult period after his involvement became public.
"When your photo is put out to the public, that is something tough to deal with," Parsons said.
Previous spying cases
The case has drawn comparisons with Leeds United's spying scandal in 2019.
The Football Association did not charge then-Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa after the club were found guilty of spying on Derby County, instead issuing a formal warning.
The EFL fined Leeds £200,000 and subsequently introduced a rule prohibiting clubs from observing a rival's training session within 72 hours of a match between the two teams.
At the 2024 Olympics, Canada head coach Bev Priestman was banned from all football for a year after members of her staff were caught spying on New Zealand.
Southampton currently sit 13th in the Championship and face local rivals Portsmouth this weekend.
