Southampton Apologises for 'Spygate' Scandal

Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert has apologised for orchestrating the 'Spygate' scandal. The incident led to Saints being thrown out of the Championship play-offs last month.

What happened?

Eckert admitted he is responsible for “everything that has happened” and apologised to all the clubs involved, including Middlesbrough, Ipswich Town, and Oxford United.

The EFL said Southampton were found guilty of a “deplorable” act of putting pressure on a junior member of staff to spy on Boro. In a damning verdict, the governing body said Eckert authorised the spying.

Context

Eckert explained that spying on teams is commonplace in other countries, citing his experience working in Italy. He said: “When I worked in Italy for over four years, every starting line-up that we have chosen for the games was always out in the media before games.”

Backing

Despite the scandal, club owner Dragan Solak has backed Eckert, saying: “Tonda’s period as our head coach has been a success so far.” Solak added that the board is fully behind Eckert and they have only one objective: promotion back to the Premier League.