Championship manager makes claim about Hull City as Southampton await Tonda Eckert decision.

Gary Rowett has revealed that he was delighted to see Hull City complete their Championship play-off campaign successfully last season, particularly because of the controversy that surrounded Southampton and the Spygate incident.

The former Birmingham City, Derby County, Millwall and Leicester City manager faced Hull twice during the 2025/26 Championship campaign. His first meeting with the Tigers came in August 2025, when his Oxford United side suffered a 3-2 defeat. He later faced Hull again in April while managing Leicester, with the match ending in a 2-2 draw.

Rowett is currently without a club after being unable to prevent Leicester’s relegation to League One, but he has remained involved in football through his media work.

He was also present at Wembley in May to watch Hull City’s dramatic play-off final victory. The Tigers secured promotion after Oli McBurnie scored a late winner, completing an extraordinary story following the turmoil that had surrounded the Championship play-offs.

Rowett backs Hull City outcome

Hull City manager Sergej Jakirovic (left) speaks with then Oxford United manager Gary Rowett (Image: Scott Heppell/PA Wire)

Speaking to talkSPORT, Rowett said he believed Hull City’s eventual success provided a satisfying conclusion from a sporting perspective.

The play-off picture had been dramatically altered after Southampton were removed from the post-season competition following the Spygate controversy. Middlesbrough, who had originally been eliminated in the semi-finals, were subsequently reinstated into the competition.

Hull eventually went on to win the final, and Rowett admitted he was particularly pleased to see that happen because he believed it helped bring some closure to an argument that could otherwise have continued long after the final whistle.

For the former Leicester manager, Hull’s victory meant the sporting aspect of the controversy could finally be put to one side while the remaining disciplinary matters were handled separately.

Southampton punishment surprised Rowett

Although Rowett accepted that Southampton’s punishment could be justified, he admitted that their removal from the play-offs had shocked him.

He suggested that football authorities sometimes hand out punishments for incidents of this nature that do not necessarily appear to match the seriousness of the offence. In Southampton’s case, however, he felt the sanction appeared extremely severe.

Rowett explained that he was surprised by the scale of the punishment, while also acknowledging the importance of protecting the integrity of football competitions.

He pointed to Marcelo Bielsa’s previous involvement in a similar controversy as an example of how the issue can be handled differently. Bielsa had previously admitted that Leeds United had obtained information about an opponent, although the circumstances and consequences were different.

Rowett’s argument was that the fact similar practices may occur elsewhere should not be used as a justification for ignoring them in English football.

Spygate controversy raised wider concerns

The former manager also suggested that gathering information about opponents is more common than supporters might realise.

He recalled situations where teams had been training and members of another club could apparently be seen watching from outside the training ground. According to Rowett, that can immediately raise questions about whether an opposition side is attempting to gain information about an upcoming match.

However, he stressed that there must still be standards governing how clubs operate.

For Rowett, the biggest problem with the Southampton situation was that the controversy threatened to overshadow the actual play-off competition. He believed the debate about fairness could have continued indefinitely if the outcome had not eventually provided a clear sporting conclusion.

Hull victory brought closure

Rowett said that he was therefore extremely pleased when Hull lifted the trophy at Wembley.

He felt the Tigers’ victory helped settle the sporting argument because there was now a clear winner on the pitch. Whatever further consequences Southampton faced, and whatever disciplinary processes remained outstanding, could then be dealt with separately.

The situation remains particularly relevant to Southampton, who are still waiting for the outcome of the disciplinary process involving head coach Tonda Eckert.

The Saints’ future plans could depend heavily on the eventual verdict, with the club having already been forced to deal with the consequences of the original controversy.

For Rowett, though, Hull City’s promotion offered at least one positive conclusion to an extremely unusual Championship play-off story.

The Tigers’ late Wembley triumph ensured that the season ended with the promotion decision being settled on the pitch, rather than allowing the controversy surrounding Southampton and the subsequent changes to the play-off line-up to dominate the final outcome.

As Southampton continue to wait for the verdict involving Eckert, the comments from Rowett provide another perspective on the events that dramatically changed last season’s Championship promotion race.