Southampton

Tonda Eckert on whether he feared he would be banned from coaching:

"I made a mistake and I said that relatively quickly and then I think you just have to accept the consequences.

"The only thing for me was to give my version of the story and I'm happy the commission listened.

"In the end, if you make a mistake, it's not for me to judge the consequences, I have to take whatever comes my way.

"I'm very happy we go into Sunday into one of the biggest games of the season and we have clarity.

"And that's not just for me, that's for everyone involved in this football club."

Southampton

Tonda Eckert said: "We've had a decent block of games, we didn't end it the way we wanted to [against Wrexham].

"But under the circumstances we had starting the season, we've collected some points and now we need to make sure we make a big push on Sunday."

Southampton

Tonda Eckert on how it has impacted his ability to coach the team while awaiting the outcome of the case:

"It's been more than four months now. It's been a long time now. You go into the season and you push everything to the side because you have a job to do and you need to deliver.

"And then after the Wrexham game, it was clear that the timeline was going to come to a conclusion relatively soon.

"It was probably the toughest, the week after that."

Southampton

Southampton boss Tonda Eckert on finally having closure on the case:

"We got a heads up on Monday when I had a meeting with the coaching staff.

"It's a big week for us as a football club. We're heading into an important game on Sunday and to have clarity as quick as possible going into such an important game has been a relief, not just for me, but for everyone involved."

Southampton

Tonda Eckert said he was given a heads up on Monday that the verdict was going to be delivered.

Quotes to come shortly.

Dan George
BBC Sport at Staplewood

Image source, BBC Sport

Tonda Eckert has just walked into the press room at St Mary's alongside Southampton communications director Jordan Sibley.

He will now answer questions from TV broadcasters before the written media will have their turn.

Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg on whether he is glad the process is over:

"I left it after the first time. That was around us. Now this one has been around the league, so I think it's good that it's over."

Middlesbrough

Image source, Getty Images

Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg on Southampton manager Tonda Eckert's verdict:

"It has nothing to do with us [the verdict]. We went through all of those things.

"I know Tonda actually called me some months ago and apologised, so it's time to move on.

"The judges have done their judgement, so that's up to them. For me it's about moving on."

Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg has also been speaking to the media today.

Boro were of course reinstated to the Championship play-off final - which they lost to Hull City - after Southampton admitted to spying on one of their training sessions.

Hellberg says Saints boss Tonda Eckert gave him a phone call after the incident to apologise.

More on exactly what Hellberg said coming shortly.

Jo Tessem
Ex-Southampton midfielder on BBC Radio Solent

I can't believe how long this has taken.

Obviously, it is a good decision for Saints and now life goes on. Dragan [Solak, owner] has made a good gamble in keeping him [Eckert].

Nothing will now be upset at the club before the derby on Sunday, they don't need to look for another manager at short notice.

On the whole I think this was the right decision, the punishment has already been given to the club and the city when they were kicked out from the play-offs.

Read and hear more from Jo Tessem here.

Southampton

More from Southampton owner Dragan Solak, who described the FA process as a "positive experience" but was critical of the EFL's handling of the issue:

"Tonda has been given the opportunity to be open and honest with the panel, and the panel has been able to see that he is simply a good person who made poor decisions," Solak added.

"The same cannot be said for the EFL process, and the way they have subsequently treated us is not something we will forget.

"However, now is the time to look forward to what I believe will be a great future for our club.”

Southampton

Image source, Getty Images

Southampton owner Dragan Solak has doubled down on his backing of manager Tonda Eckert following the conclusion of the Spygate case.

"We have already suffered enough and we appreciate the panel’s recognition of that," Solak said.

“We are confident the manager has learned from this matter, and a suspended sentence allows him to continue in his role.

"I firmly believe that Tonda is one of Europe’s most exciting young coaches, and with this distraction removed, I am confident he can lead the team to a successful season.

"I’d like to thank our fans for standing by us and showing the team so much support during a time when we have needed them more than ever."

Southampton

Southampton issued a club statement following Wednesday's verdict.

"We hope this now brings a conclusion to a regrettable period of our history and measures have been put in place to ensure that such errors in judgement never happen again at our club," the club said.

"We want to take this opportunity to thank the supporters for their unconditional backing throughout this process.

"Our fanbase is unmatched, and we are excited to move forward together towards a bright future."

Tap the arrows to scroll along the timeline of events throughout the Spygate scandal.

With the case finally now concluded, here is a look at all the sanctions Southampton were given over the Spygate scandal:

• Kicked out of the play-off final, with Middlesbrough reinstated
• Deducted four points for the 2026-27 Championship season
• Tonda Eckert given a six-week ban from football and all football related activity, suspended until the end of the 2027-28 season
• Eckert fined £28,000

Image source, Shutterstock

The Football Association (FA) said Southampton boss Tonda Eckert was "sanctioned by an independent Regulatory Commission for three breaches of FA Rule E3.1 in relation to misconduct between December 2025 and May 2026".

In a nutshell, Eckert was handed a six-week suspended ban from football, fined £28,000 and reprimanded.

This is the full statement issued by the FA following the conclusion of the hearing:

"It was alleged that the head coach acted in an improper manner and/or brought the game into disrepute by directing and/or authorising the observation of training sessions of Oxford United FC, Ipswich Town FC, and Middlesborough FC ahead of fixtures between these clubs and Southampton FC in December 2025, April 2026, and May 2026 respectively.

"Tonda Eckert subsequently admitted the charges, and an independent Regulatory Commission imposed a six-week suspension from all football and football related activity, which is suspended until the end of the 2027-28 season, a £28,000 fine and a reprimand following a hearing.

"The suspended sanction will come into effect in the event he is found to have committed a breach of Rules or Regulations by requesting, authorising, taking, or using information from any observation of the training of another club, in whatever guise that observation may take."

Image source, Other

The Spygate scandal kicked off on the morning of Thursday, 7 May when Southampton intern analyst William Salt was caught filming a Middlesbrough training session before the Championship play-off semi-final between the two clubs.

Salt was pictured by Boro's club photographer standing behind a tree at the Rockliffe Park training ground with a phone in his hand and wearing in-ear headphones.

He was reportedly approached by a member of Middlesbrough staff but ran to a nearby golf club before changing his clothes and leaving the site.

It later transpired that Saints boss Tonda Eckert had also ordered his staff to spy on training sessions at Oxford United and Ipswich Town earlier in the season, which led to their expulsion from the play-offs.

While we await Tonda Eckert’s arrival, let’s just have a quick recap on what has happened in the Spygate saga…

Dan George
BBC Sport at Staplewood

Image source, BBC Sport

A very good afternoon from Southampton's Staplewood training centre.

We are just getting set-up before Tonda Eckert joins us for his press conference in Southampton.

There are slightly more media in attendance than there usually are with this being the first time that Eckert has spoken since he was handed a suspended ban and fined by the FA for his role in Spygate.

This also happens to be his press conference to preview Sunday's south coast derby when Saints host their bitter rivals Portsmouth.

We will bring you all the top lines from Eckert this afternoon as he reacts to his punishment and previews the derby.

The Saints boss is expected to join us at some point between 15:00 BST and 15:30.

Image source, Shutterstock

Southampton manager Tonda Eckert was given a suspended ban by the FA for his role in the Spygate scandal on Wednesday, meaning he is free to continue in his role at the club.

The 33-year-old is set to speak to the media for the first time this afternoon since the verdict was delivered.

Saints take on local rivals Portsmouth in the South Coast derby in the Championship on Sunday - and crucially it means Eckert will be in the dugout at St Mary’s.

Join us for Eckert’s press conference shortly.