Southampton's Season Begins Amid Spygate Controversy
Southampton’s season starts on Sunday. The Spygate storm has not blown over.
The club have already felt the EFL’s full force, thrown out of last season’s Championship play-offs and hit with a four-point deduction for this campaign after admitting they spied on three clubs. Now the focus turns to the man at the centre of it all.
Head coach Tonda Eckert still does not know his fate.
FA verdict looms over Saints’ season
Eckert was charged with misconduct by the Football Association on 22 July for his role in the scandal. BBC Sport understands the FA hearing is likely to take place in mid-September.
By the time the verdict lands – and with the possibility of an appeal dragging it out further – Southampton will be deep into their Championship schedule. The season will pause for an international break from 21 September to 6 October, but there is no guarantee the outcome will be known by then.
The length of any ban will dictate everything.
Unlike the EFL case, which had to be wrapped up quickly to complete last season’s play-offs, the FA process has moved more slowly. Southampton have been given extra time to assemble and submit their defence. When they finally lay out their case, it will be close to four months since the FA investigation began.
If the punishment is severe, it could rip up the club’s plans in the middle of the campaign.
Solak’s backing – but for how long?
Owner Dragan Solak has already nailed his colours to the mast. Speaking to BBC Sport in early June, he made it clear he would not sack Eckert and believed the German deserved a second chance.
That stance may yet be tested.
A lengthy touchline or stadium ban could effectively take the decision out of Solak’s hands. Eckert’s contract at St Mary’s runs only until the end of the current season, and a significant sanction might force Southampton to consider a change in the dugout sooner than they ever intended.
Behind the scenes, contingency planning has already started.
Group technical director Johannes Spors, a key figure in appointing Eckert permanently last December, lifted the lid slightly during a recent BBC Radio Solent Southampton FC fans’ forum.
“It all depends on what the outcome is as there are so many uncertainties of how this could look like,” Spors said. “There is nothing too concrete at the moment, we're really focused on the here and now and if there is something that we have to deal with then we will deal with it.
“In the back of my mind and in the office we do speak about different scenarios to be prepared for but I still hope for a positive outcome.”
Those “different scenarios” have already been tested in pre-season.
Preparing for life without the touchline
On their summer tour, Southampton rehearsed what it might look like if Eckert is removed from the technical area. In one friendly, he watched from the stands and later told the club’s media, “Let's hope we don't need it,” when asked about managing away from the dugout.
If the FA bans him, there is no certainty the punishment would stop at the touchline. A stadium ban or wider restrictions cannot be ruled out.
“At the moment I'm honestly very positive looking into the next weeks and we have some ideas in mind,” Spors added. “There was some discussions earlier about how Tonda watched one of the pre-season games from above [in the stands] and we have to think into different scenarios like this.”
The club are braced for impact, even as they insist their focus is on the immediate task: winning football matches.
From intern to analyst amid controversy
The investigation has not only reshaped the perception of Southampton but also the roles inside the club.
BBC Sport understands that the intern involved in the spying, Will Salt, is set to be appointed to a permanent analyst role since the controversy. The ongoing FA investigation is examining who took part in the spying operation and how responsible those were who knew it was happening.
The EFL opened its own inquiry before last season’s play-off semi-finals and formally charged Southampton on 8 May. Eleven days later, the hammer fell: expelled from the play-offs and docked four points for this season.
Now the FA must decide what happens to the coach who led that team.
Eckert’s response: rules, reflection and phone calls
Eckert, just 33 and relatively new to senior management, has spent the summer trying to repair his reputation and reset his approach.
His experience before Southampton amounted to 15 months as assistant at Barnsley and three years as number two at Genoa. The last few months have been a crash course in English football politics and regulations.
“I've had a lot of support very quickly from the owner, sporting director and the players, but then also over the summer from lots of managers in the game, and that's helped me a lot over the summer,” he said in his pre-Watford news conference.
“I used the summer to not only go through the 131 rules but also to connect with some managers that have been in the game for much longer than me and managers that have much more experience than myself across national teams and club football.
“One is for the rules and regulations and the second that is even more important is the culture that's behind that, I've done that through many conversations with English managers, not just in football but other sports too.”
He has cooperated with the FA’s investigation, reflected on his actions and tried to sharpen his understanding of where the line is drawn in English football. Whether that will influence the punishment is another matter.
Watford first, FA next
On the pitch, Southampton have made a solid start. A 2-0 win away at Colchester in the cup last weekend offered a clean, uncomplicated victory at a time when nothing else around the club feels simple.
Now they open their Championship campaign at Vicarage Road on Sunday against Watford. In the opposite dugout will be Italian coach Alessio Dionisi, a familiar face for Eckert from his time at Genoa when Dionisi was at Sassuolo.
The fixture list says it is just another opening-day test in a long, grinding season. For Southampton, it is much more than that.
They walk out at Watford knowing points are already scarce thanks to the four-point deduction, their head coach is working under a cloud, and an FA panel will soon decide whether the man leading them into the new campaign will still be allowed anywhere near the touchline when the autumn games arrive.
