Southampton manager Tonda Eckert has admitted authorising the spying scandal that resulted in the club's expulsion from the play-offs, and he could now face disciplinary action. The independent disciplinary commission that decided to expel Southampton from the play-offs and impose a four-point deduction for next season stated that senior figures backed the spying scheme in a "contrived and determined plan from the top down."
Commission Condemns Southampton's Conduct
The commission accused Southampton of behaving deplorably by pressuring intern William Salt, who was filmed filming a Middlesbrough training session, to carry out their wishes and exploiting his lack of job security. In their written reasons for the punishment, the commission said Southampton had "seriously violated" the integrity of the play-offs, necessitating a severe sporting sanction.
Southampton pleaded guilty to multiple breaches of EFL rules after also spying on Oxford United and Ipswich Town before matches against them. The commission heard that Salt refused to spy on Ipswich.
Eckert's Admission
During the disciplinary hearing, Eckert admitted that he wanted to discover which tactics Oxford would employ in their first match under caretaker manager Craig Short, following the sacking of Gary Rowett, and whether Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney would be fit for the semi-final first leg at the Riverside. The commission concluded that Eckert intended to base his gameplan on information gathered illegally.
The commission wrote: "The observations were authorised at a senior level and the task was delegated to the intern in relation to the MFC and OU incident. He declined to be involved in the IT incident. The output of the observations fed into analysis conducted by the team, it was discussed with Mr Eckert and others and it was sought as to inform strategy for the match."
"Mr Eckert accepted that he had specifically authorised the observations to obtain information about formation (in the OU incident) and about the availability of a key player (in the MFC incident). Such information could only be sought in order to factor it into strategy. It is inherent in having information which your opponent would wish to keep private that you have a sporting advantage."
"Junior members of staff were put under pressure to carry out activities they felt were, at the least, morally wrong. Such staff were in a vulnerable position without job security."
Potential Further Sanctions
Southampton had claimed they were unaware of the rules regarding observing other clubs' training sessions, rules introduced after Leeds spied on Derby in 2019, and said they were bound by EFL rules. The FA is now investigating Southampton, which could lead to charges for Eckert.
The independent disciplinary commission stated that a fine would not have been sufficient punishment given the value of promotion. They added: "Public confidence was paramount. We have concluded there was a contrived and determined part from the top down to gain a competitive advantage. It involved far more than an innocent activity and a particularly deplorable approach in its use of junior members to conduct the clandestine activities at the direction of senior personnel. The integrity of the play-off competition was seriously violated."
