Southampton have chosen to keep Tonda Eckert in charge after the spygate scandal, with owner Dragan Solak making clear he still backs the manager. The club were already handed a four-point deduction for the 2026-27 season, and the spying case ended with Southampton's expulsion from the Championship play-offs. Eckert has apologised publicly, but the fallout is still live because the FA is still investigating whether he brought the game into disrepute.
Why Southampton have kept faith
Solak did not hide his view. "I think he deserves a second chance and I would give it to him. My full support would be behind him actually, because I think he's a super-talented manager," he said.
He also warned Eckert against another mistake, telling him: "You almost broke my heart. You do it again, you'll kill me. The next time I see you in July, if you don't know the EFL book of rules by heart, you can't work for me. Because, we can't have another mistake."
That is a pretty clear line from the owner. Southampton are backing the manager, but they are not pretending the episode was small. The four-point deduction and the play-off expulsion are already on the books, and Solak's comments suggest the club want accountability without cutting Eckert loose.
The apology has not closed the issue
Eckert's response was direct. On Southampton's social media channels, he issued an eight-minute video apology and said: "For everything that has happened I want to apologise. I hold my hands up because as a head coach I am responsible."
He has also explained that he came from a different football culture, saying: "There are different rules in England. There are different rules from the EFL. And I should have known them."
The basic problem for Eckert is that apology alone does not settle the bigger questions. Southampton admitted spying in three matches, and they did not win any of them. In the most specific case discussed publicly, Eckert said the staff wanted to find out whether Middlesbrough would play Hayden Hackney in the play-off semi-final.
The form numbers do not really rescue either side of the argument. Southampton's last 10 listed matches finished W5 D1 L4, while Middlesbrough's were W3 D0 L7. That does not make the spying acceptable, but it does explain why Southampton may have thought extra information mattered. The club's issue now is less about whether the attempt was useful and more about whether they can keep Eckert while the investigation keeps moving.
If the FA case leads anywhere, Southampton still have decisions to make. For now, though, the club have said enough through action and words: Eckert stays, Solak stands by him, and the scandal is not over yet.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →
