Tonda Eckert’s Spygate 'punishment' could BOOST Southampton

Southampton manager Tonda Eckert received a suspended ban for his role in Spygate (Image credit: Getty Images)

This afternoon, two clubs with a fierce rivalry will do battle against the backdrop of one of English football’s most shocking cases of cheating in recent memory.

One set of fans will relish the opportunity to remind their opponents that they are morally corrupt - perhaps in slightly different words - while the other will stand in defiance behind their club, despite their shattered reputation.

But this isn’t about Liverpool’s clash with Manchester City, who play their first game since they were found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules. This is about Southampton’s derby against Portsmouth and one man in particular: Saints manager Tonda Eckert.

Tonda Eckert's Spygate ruling comes at the perfect time for Southampton

Southampton face arch-rivals Portsmouth at St Mary's today (Image credit: Getty Images)

Clearly, the Spygate scandal that saw Southampton expelled from last season’s Championship play-offs is nowhere near the same level of severity as the case involving City, who continue to deny any wrongdoing and have appealed the verdict.

But the strength of feeling between the two sets of fans at St Mary’s today will certainly match - and probably exceed - the hostility at Anfield.

A Southampton fan mocks the Spygate scandal during last season's play-off semi-final against Middlesbrough (Image credit: Getty Images)

The South Coast derby comes four days after Eckert escaped serious punishment for his role in Spygate, following an FA hearing last month.

An independent commission handed the Saints manager a six-week ban from all football and football-related activity, suspended until the end of the 2027/28 campaign, as well as a £28,000 fine and a reprimand, after he admitted that he ‘directed and/or authorised the observation of training sessions’ of three Championship opponents - Oxford United, Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough - last season.

The Boro incident occurred 48 hours before the sides met in the first leg of their play-off semi-final in May, when Southampton intern Will Salt was caught filming Kim Hellberg’s team and the story quickly became headline news.

Having beaten Middlesbrough over two legs, Saints were then expelled from the play-offs by the EFL and received a four-point deduction that came into effect this season. The club were denied a play-off final against Hull City and the potential £200m windfall that comes with promotion to the Premier League, but the strong punishment sent a clear message: spying on opponents is not worth the risk.

Everyone at Southampton, including players and fans, paid for the actions of a few members of staff. Eckert also suffered considerable reputational damage, but it seems inexplicable that the man who took ultimate responsibility for Spygate will not miss a single game considering that managers receive touchline bans for back-chatting to referees.

Eckert has expressed "genuine contrition" for his actions (Image credit: Getty Images)

The 33-year-old was described as an “exceptionally impressive” witness by the independent commission and expressed “genuine contrition” for his actions. That may be true, but it doesn’t absolve him of blame.

The independent commission initially recommended a four-month ban from football, while the FA requested three months. But after applying various mitigations, including Eckert’s remorse, the impact on his career prospects and the knock-on effect for the club and the fans, it was reduced to this pathetic suspended sentence that he will ultimately never serve, as he will surely not make the same mistake again.

The verdict dilutes the message sent in May by the EFL, opening the door for managers to escape serious punishment in the event of another Spygate if they plead their case well. It also emboldens Southampton in their belief that they were harshly treated when they were kicked out of the play-offs.

Just don't think you understand 🎶 https://t.co/aAd1l38Qy2October 7, 2026

That attitude was clear in the club’s statement responding to the verdict, in which owner Dragan Solak said: “The FA process has been a positive experience…the same cannot be said for the EFL process, and the way they have subsequently treated us is not something we will forget.”

Eight minutes after the statement was published, Saints posted a video on social media of Eckert celebrating with fans after a game, captioned “Just don’t think you understand” - lyrics from the terrace chant sung up and down the country. It felt unnecessarily triumphalist on the back of an embarrassing episode for the club.

In many ways, the verdict could not have come at a better time for Southampton. The South Coast derby is the biggest game of the two clubs’ respective seasons and Saints are aiming to end a winless league run against Portsmouth that stretches back to 2004.

A Middlesbrough fan holds a cardboard cut-out of Southampton defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis at last season's Championship play-off final (Image credit: Getty Images)

The atmosphere will be highly-charged regardless, but it will go up another couple of notches when Eckert walks out of the tunnel and receives a hero’s welcome. Southampton fans would have feared the impact of the German being banned days before facing their arch-rivals, so his presence on the touchline will feel like a victory.

They now know they have one of the brightest young managers in the country leading them for the rest of this season, which not only brings obvious benefits on the pitch but also a psychological boost, as they would have feared months of uncertainty if Eckert was banned.

Similarly, do not be surprised if the siege mentality demonstrated in Solak’s statement lasts beyond this weekend. Southampton clearly believe they were unfairly denied their shot at promotion last season and many - but not all - supporters will feel the same way. It is not hard to imagine Saints framing this season’s bid to reach the Premier League as two fingers up to the EFL.

Striker Cyle Larin is one of several top Championship players at Southampton (Image credit: Getty Images)

Southampton do not need any extra help in their promotion push. Eckert is a talented manager and has some of the best players in the league at his disposal, including Daniel Peretz, Leo Scienza and Cyle Larin.

They were strong favourites to win last season’s play-offs before the Spygate saga and would start this weekend fourth in the Championship without the points deduction. Even accounting for those lost points, Saints should finish comfortably inside the top eight and are likely to challenge for the top two.

Now, thanks to the failure to sufficiently punish Eckert, they have another edge in the promotion battle - and that feels wrong.

James Roberts is a freelance sports journalist working for FourFourTwo and other titles. He started his career at the Oxford Mail, where he covered Oxford United home and away, before becoming a sports sub-editor for various national newspapers.