Southampton chief insists club has suffered enough as Eckert faces FA misconduct hearing over Spygate

Southampton chief executive Phil Parsons has urged an FA regulatory commission to consider the punishment already handed to the club when it rules on misconduct charges against head coach Tonda Eckert, with the hearing expected this week.

Saints were expelled from last season’s EFL Championship play-offs after admitting to spying on the training sessions of three opponents — Oxford, Ipswich, and Middlesbrough — costing them a shot at Premier League promotion worth at least £200 million. The same independent panel also imposed a four-point deduction on the club for the current campaign. Eckert was subsequently charged with misconduct by the Football Association in July over his role in the incidents.

“What we hope as a club is they actually recognise where we are at the moment, and what we’ve already been through, because I think it has to be taken into account,” Parsons said. “I really feel like we’ve taken enough. We’ve been hurt. I think it’s one of the largest sanctions ever when it comes to football, or even sporting, history.”

Parsons also pointed to the wider financial damage beyond the club itself. “We lose money not being in the Premier League, but businesses lose money. We had to spend a huge amount on legal fees, and it really impacts the club even further. We don’t want to be seen as a victim of this. We need to get on. We’ve had our cards dealt.”

Eckert, speaking in a BBC interview published on Monday, echoed that sentiment. “It’s been a big, big punishment. Absolutely unheard of in the history of sports,” the German coach said. “I’ve asked for forgiveness for what I’ve done. I’ve apologised publicly. I think the punishment has been very hard on the club for the last season.”

The scandal came to light during Southampton’s Championship play-off semi-final against Middlesbrough in May, when a Southampton intern was confronted by Middlesbrough staff while monitoring their training session. Eckert has admitted that staff were sent to observe sessions at Oxford, Ipswich, and Middlesbrough, but claimed he was unaware the practice breached EFL rules.

The EFL panel that ruled on the club’s punishment found that younger staff had felt pressured to carry out the surveillance, characterising the operation as “a contrived and determined plan from top down to gain a competitive advantage.” Eckert’s personal culpability in that chain of command is now the central question before the FA commission.