The independent disciplinary commission investigating the spygate affair has found that Southampton orchestrated a “contrived and determined plan from the top down” to obtain illicit information for sporting advantage. The commission explained its decision to expel the club from the Championship playoffs in a strongly worded assessment published on Thursday night.
Southampton initially denied filming Middlesbrough in training before their playoff semi-final, but later accepted the charges. The commission revealed that Saints manager Tonda Eckert had “specifically authorised” spying on three occasions during the season. Eckert admitted commissioning the surveillance but claimed he did not find the information useful.
The commission condemned the club's use of junior staff to conduct the clandestine observations, describing it as “a particularly deplorable approach”. An intern who filmed Middlesbrough's session had refused a similar assignment at Ipswich and spoke of the pressure placed on them by the club.
Southampton were removed from the playoffs, with the final now set between Middlesbrough and Hull City. The club also received a four-point deduction for next season. The panel rejected comparisons to a previous Leeds case, stating the two cases were “sufficiently different”.
Southampton had provided footage of their training sessions to the commission to argue they gained no material advantage. The club believes the punishment is disproportionate and had sought to avoid a sporting sanction by pointing to the Leeds precedent, which resulted in a £200,000 fine.
