SOUTHAMPTON — Tonda Eckert is free to continue as Southampton manager after a Football Association independent regulatory commission handed the German a six-week ban from all football but suspended it until the end of next season. The 33-year-old also received a £28,000 fine and reprimand for three breaches of FA Rule E3.1, avoiding a lengthy immediate ban that could have cost him his job.
The FA had proposed a three-month ban, but the commission gave credit for what it called "considerable mitigation in this matter, most particularly around the genuine contrition." The six-week ban will only be triggered if Eckert is found to be involved in any other spying between now and the end of next season. The FA is yet to confirm whether it will appeal. The panel found Eckert to be "a particularly impressive witness" who has "reflected very deeply and seriously on what has happened" and said "his level of contrition was as deep and meaningful as could reasonably be expected."
Southampton welcomed the decision in a statement, saying, "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." Owner Dragan Solak said the club had "already suffered enough" and added, "We appreciate the panel's recognition of that. We are confident the manager has learned from this matter, and a suspended sentence allows him to continue in his role." Solak added, "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," while calling the FA process a "positive experience" but saying of the English Football League, "the way they have treated us is not something we will forget."
Southampton was expelled from the Championship play-offs in May after admitting spying on training sessions involving Oxford United, Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough before the play-off semi-final, and was handed a four-point deduction for this season. An EFL independent disciplinary commission ruled the espionage was authorized by Eckert and was a "contrived and determined plan from the top down." The panel concluded there was "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," though it was "entirely satisfied" Eckert was not aware the actions were in breach of EFL rules or "morally wrong." Eckert arranged spying on Oxford to establish whether they were playing a back four or a back five under a new manager, while the panel accepted he did not initiate the move to obtain CCTV footage of Ipswich's session and that for Middlesbrough he sent someone to check whether midfielder Hayden Hackney was fit to play.
Eckert apologized in June, claiming he was unaware the practice was banned and that it had no impact on his team's performances, but the FA charged him with misconduct and a hearing took place at the end of last month. The commission said a three-month ban may cost Eckert his job and that would "unquestionably be the equivalent of a further sanction being imposed" on the club, calling it "a clear and compelling reason to suspend that part of the sanction which comprises the ban from all football and football related activity." Eckert was appointed permanent Southampton manager in December 2025 after taking interim charge when the club was 21st in the Championship and led it to a fourth-place finish. Southampton is 13th in the Championship this season with four wins from eight matches and faces local rival Portsmouth this weekend. The case follows precedent where the FA did not charge former Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa after spying on Derby in 2019, instead issuing a formal warning while the EFL fined Leeds £200,000, and FIFA banned Canada head coach Bev Priestman from all football for a year after spying on New Zealand at the 2024 Olympics women's tournament.