Eckert apologises for Southampton Spygate scandal that cost Saints their play-off place

Southampton manager Tonda Eckert has apologised to his players and supporters after the club was disqualified from the Championship play-off final and handed a four-point deduction for breaching EFL rules by spying on a Middlesbrough training session.

The Saints were expelled from the £200 million Wembley showpiece against Hull City after an independent disciplinary commission found they had committed multiple rule breaches, including covertly observing Middlesbrough’s preparations ahead of the play-off semi-final first leg. The four-point penalty will be applied to Southampton’s account next season.

The commission described the operation as a “contrived and determined plan from the top down”, and junior members of staff told the panel that Eckert had placed them “under extreme pressure” to spy on opposing teams.

In a video posted on the club’s social media channels, Eckert sought to contextualise his actions while accepting full blame. “When I worked in Italy for over four years, every starting line-up that we chosen was always out in the media,” he said. “That was because our training sessions had always been observed by opponent teams we come up against. Guardiola spoke about this from his time at Bayern Munich. I don’t want to say this to explain it, but the way I grew up in football, there’s different rules in England and the EFL — I should have known them.”

Eckert, who described himself as a young coach still learning the game’s varying regulations across different countries, was direct in accepting responsibility. “I have made a mistake and I take full responsibility,” he said. “I’d like to thank the board for their support in times like this. For everything that I have said, without script and without a pretty fine statement, speaking to you from the heart — I hope over time you can understand and forgive. I am responsible for everything that happened. I apologise to the players.”

The disqualification ends Southampton’s hopes of an immediate return to the Premier League via the play-offs, with Hull City set to contest the Wembley final in their place.