Southampton manager Tonda Eckert remains in limbo as the Football Association prepares to deliver its verdict on the club’s Spygate scandal. The EFL handed Southampton a four-point deduction and expelled them from last season’s Championship playoff final after finding the club breached rules by spying on Middlesbrough’s training session ahead of the semi-final first leg.

What happened?

In May, the English Football League expelled Southampton from the playoff final against Hull after discovering a club intern—23-year-old William Salt—had spied on Middlesbrough’s Riverside training ground before the semi-final first leg. Southampton and Eckert admitted to the EFL disciplinary commission that the manager specifically authorised similar clandestine operations against Oxford and Ipswich before league matches. The EFL described the club’s actions as a “contrived and determined plan from the top down” to gain an illicit edge.

Why it matters for Southampton

Eckert’s future hinges on the FA’s ruling, which could include a 12-month suspension from all football activity—mirroring the punishment handed to Canada women’s coach Bev Priestman in 2024 after she used a drone to spy on New Zealand at the Paris Olympics. The EFL’s written reasons condemned Southampton’s “particularly deplorable” treatment of Salt, who has since been offered a permanent analyst role in the club’s academy. The disciplinary panel explicitly cited Priestman’s case as a precedent in their decision-making.

Southampton currently sit 4th in the Championship with 80 points from 46 games—15 points behind leaders Coventry—and face a season opener at Watford on 16 August with their four-point handicap intact. Their recent form reads WWDDW, and they’ve conceded 56 goals while scoring 82 this campaign.

What comes next?

Eckert, a 33-year-old German who previously worked as an analyst for the Germany men’s national team, was interviewed by the FA at the start of July. The club’s owner, Dragan Solak, has backed the manager, calling his mistake regrettable but deserving of a second chance. Southampton’s first pre-season friendly against Eastleigh on Saturday offers the first chance for reporters to quiz Eckert since the scandal broke. Whether he’ll be on the bench for the Championship curtain-raiser at Watford remains in the FA’s hands—and the club’s four-point deduction means every point counts as they chase promotion.