Southampton and Eckert have asked for forgiveness ahead of the Spygate verdict.

Tonda Eckert and Southampton are approaching the Football Association’s decision over the club’s spying scandal, with a disciplinary hearing expected to determine whether the German head coach will face an individual suspension.

More than four months after the controversy first exploded, Southampton remain surrounded by the consequences of an operation that involved monitoring three Championship opponents. The club were removed from the Championship play-off final, losing the opportunity to compete for promotion to the Premier League, while an EFL disciplinary panel also imposed a four-point deduction for the current campaign.

Eckert has already apologised for his involvement and says he has asked to be forgiven. Southampton, meanwhile, continue to stand behind their manager, although chief executive Phil Parsons admits another punishment would be extremely difficult for the club to accept.

Eckert reflects on a difficult summer

I’ve asked for forgiveness and apologised publicly – Eckert

Eckert has described the period since the scandal as anything but straightforward. The 33-year-old says there is little that can prepare someone for the personal pressure that follows when their professional actions become the centre of a major football controversy.

He previously apologised publicly after an independent EFL disciplinary commission concluded that he had organised what it described as a deliberate and determined plan to obtain information on Oxford United, Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough before Southampton’s play-off campaign.

At the time, Eckert maintained that he did not know the activity breached EFL regulations. He also argued that the information gathered did not influence Southampton’s performances. Despite the controversy, the club chose to continue supporting him.

Southampton have since started the new season positively. Their four-point deduction has affected their position significantly, with the club sitting outside the leading places despite results that would otherwise have placed them much higher in the Championship standings.

Eckert says Southampton have spent considerable time during the summer discussing the scandal internally. The aim, he explains, was to give people an opportunity to ask questions, express their feelings and address unresolved issues before attempting to move forward.

The manager recognises that leaving the controversy behind is easier in theory than in practice. He has still been waiting for the FA’s verdict, meaning the possibility of a personal suspension remains over him.

Four hours with the FA

Eckert has confirmed that he sat down with the FA and spent almost four hours explaining his version of events.

He says the conversation was lengthy and gave him the impression that investigators had listened to what he had to say. However, he now has no control over the eventual decision.

Asked whether Southampton have already received enough punishment, and whether another sanction against him would be excessive, Eckert was careful with his response.

He believes the consequences suffered by Southampton have been severe. The club lost their chance to fight for promotion, received a four-point deduction and entered the new campaign carrying the continuing burden of the controversy.

Eckert also acknowledged that he is personally connected to the issue and therefore cannot judge the matter completely from the outside. Still, he stressed that he has accepted responsibility, apologised publicly and asked for forgiveness.

Ultimately, he says, the next decision belongs to the authorities.

Southampton fear another punishment

We don’t know what the FA will hand out – Parsons

Parsons has been more direct in expressing the club’s concerns. He says Southampton do not know whether the FA will impose a lengthy suspension, a shorter ban or a suspended punishment.

Whatever the outcome, the chief executive hopes the disciplinary panel considers everything that has already happened to the club.

Parsons argues that Southampton have suffered substantial consequences already. The lost opportunity to return to the Premier League has affected the club financially, while local businesses also missed out on the economic benefits that top-flight football could have brought.

The club has also faced significant legal expenses during the disciplinary process. Parsons therefore believes the wider impact extends beyond the football team itself.

He says Southampton do not want to portray themselves as victims, but they also want the authorities to recognise the scale of what has already happened.

The chief executive accepts that sanctions aimed at an individual can inevitably affect the club. If Eckert receives a suspension, Southampton would have to deal with the sporting consequences as well.

The Canadian comparison

A recent precedent has added another layer to the discussion. At the 2024 Olympic women’s tournament, Canada head coach Bev Priestman was banned from football for a year after an opponent was subjected to spying.

Parsons argues that the circumstances involving Canada were different from Southampton’s case. Nevertheless, the precedent shows that football authorities can impose substantial individual punishment for espionage-related misconduct.

Eckert is contracted only until the end of the current season, raising questions about Southampton’s plans if the FA imposes a lengthy suspension.

Parsons firmly denies that the club have already approached alternative coaches. He says Southampton have instead prepared for different possible outcomes and will make decisions only once the ruling is known.

The club could also consider an appeal if the FA decision goes against Eckert.

For now, Parsons insists Southampton cannot spend their time worrying about an outcome they cannot control. He says the club must deal with whatever decision eventually arrives and hopes the panel approaches the matter sensibly.

Why Southampton kept their manager

One of the biggest questions surrounding the scandal has been why Southampton did not dismiss Eckert.

Parsons says the answer is partly connected to the manager’s work on the pitch. According to the chief executive, Eckert inherited Southampton when they were around 20th in the Championship and helped guide them into the play-off positions.

For that reason, Parsons believes the manager deserved loyalty despite the seriousness of the controversy.

He accepts that Eckert made a mistake and says the consequences have already been significant. However, Parsons also praises the manager for the way he has dealt with the pressure.

He believes the scrutiny could have overwhelmed many people, particularly given the scale of the controversy and the uncertainty over Eckert’s future.

Eckert, meanwhile, says he is extremely grateful that Southampton have continued to support him. He acknowledges that the club could have taken a completely different approach and believes such a response would have been understandable in many circumstances.

The support of Southampton supporters has also been important to him. The majority of fans spoken to by BBC Sport appeared to remain behind the manager, something Eckert says means a great deal to him.

The intern at the centre of the scandal

Salt has been through a tough time – Parsons

Salt became publicly associated with the scandal after a photograph emerged showing him secretly filming Middlesbrough from behind a tree at their training ground before the play-off semi-final.

Despite the controversy, Southampton have now given Salt a permanent position as an academy analyst.

Parsons says the club felt a responsibility to support the young employee after his image became public. He believes many people underestimated how difficult that experience could have been for someone at the beginning of his career.

Questions were also raised about Salt’s claims that he felt under significant pressure while carrying out the activity.

Parsons says he does not believe Salt specifically claimed that Eckert personally pressured him. Instead, the analyst described feeling pressure because of the wider situation.

The chief executive believes Salt has handled the aftermath well and can learn from what happened.

Have Southampton learned their lesson?

Parsons insists the club has taken lessons from the scandal. Eckert, he says, has studied the relevant EFL regulations more closely.

However, Parsons also believes some of the rules surrounding scouting and information gathering are unclear.

He describes aspects of the regulations as grey and says he intends to continue raising the issue during EFL meetings.

At the same time, he accepts Southampton did something wrong and says the club must take responsibility for that.

The controversy has not disappeared. Rival clubs and supporters continue to refer to the scandal, while Wrexham’s owners recently appeared to reference it in a social media advertisement before a match against Southampton.

Parsons says the incident will remain part of Southampton’s history. Rather than attempting to erase it, he believes the club must focus on how it responds from this point forward.

Waiting for the final decision

The long-running saga is now approaching another decisive moment.

The Championship has entered an international break, giving Southampton some breathing space before their next fixture. By the time they return to action against local rivals Portsmouth on 11 October, Eckert is expected to know whether the FA will impose a personal punishment.

Until then, uncertainty remains over whether he will continue without restriction, face a suspension or challenge any sanction through an appeal.

For Southampton, the issue is about more than one manager. The club has already absorbed sporting, financial and reputational consequences, while Eckert has spent months dealing with the personal fallout.

The manager says he has apologised and asked for forgiveness. Parsons insists the club wants the authorities to take the previous punishment into account.

Southampton now have little left to do except wait for the verdict and prepare for whatever comes next.