Southampton's spying on rival clubs was authorised by head coach Tonda Eckert and was a "contrived and determined plan from the top down", an independent disciplinary commission ru
The report indicates that southampton’s spying on rival clubs was authorised by head coach Tonda Eckert and was a “contrived and determined plan from the top down”, an independent disciplinary commission ruled.
It further notes that the commission also stated it was “deplorable” of the club to have used junior staff members to “conduct the clandestine observation”.
Saints were expelled from the Championship play-offs after admitting to observing opponents’ training sessions and have been deducted four points for the 2026-27 Championship season.
Written reasons explaining the commission’s finding have now been published by the English Football League.
Eckert, the club’s 33-year-old German rookie boss who only took charge in mid-season, is stated to have “accepted that he had specifically authorised the observations”. Such spying “seriously violated” the integrity of the competition, the commission stated in an explanation of why it applied such a serious sanction.
In addition to the expulsion and point penalty, a reprimand was also imposed on Southampton. That was not merely because spying was taking place, but because “junior members of staff were put under pressure” to be involved, the commission stated.
The whole matter only arose after a junior member of staff was spotted secretly watching Middlesbrough at their training ground.
Southampton admitted spying on three rivals’ training sessions – Oxford United and Ipswich Town earlier in the season, and then Middlesbrough before the first leg of the play-off semi-finals.
Their expulsion from the play-offs meant Middlesbrough – who they beat in the semi-final – were reinstated. They will meet Hull City in Saturday’s final, for a place in the Premier League.
Southampton, who initially denied any video was captured or analysed before acknowledging that was not the case, were unsuccessful in an appeal against their removal from the play-offs.
They are stated to have “placed reliance” on a previous sanction handed down to Leeds United, who received a £200,000 fine for spying on opponents in 2019, but the commission pointed out that happened before the introduction of the regulations Southampton breached.
The first determination is perhaps the most damning. It indicated a pattern of behaviour.
The independent disciplinary commission said: “We have concluded that there was, on the part of the respondent [Southampton], a contrived and determined plan from the top down to gain a competitive advantage in competitions of real significance by deliberate attendance at opposition training grounds for the purpose of obtaining tactical and selection information.
“It involved far more than innocent activity and a particularly deplorable approach in its use of junior members of staff to conduct the clandestine observations at the direction of senior personnel.
