Southampton have clarified their position on the crisis.
The English Football Association announced on Wednesday that it has formally charged Southampton manager Tonda Eckert over the spying case that sparked widespread controversy last season.
According to “Reuters”, the FA believes Eckert approved the monitoring of training sessions held by Oxford United, Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough ahead of their fixtures against Southampton, a breach of the regulations governing the competition.
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An independent disciplinary commission revealed last May that the manager had admitted granting approval for the act. That admission cost Southampton their place in the play-off final for promotion to the English Premier League.
Following its investigation, the FA charged Eckert with misconduct over his alleged breach of the regulations. The association confirmed, via its official account on the “X” platform, that the manager must respond to the charges by 28 July at the latest.
Southampton statement
Southampton, for their part, issued a statement confirming their awareness of the charge, saying: “Tonda and the club will continue to cooperate fully and transparently with the English Football Association”.
The statement added: “The club will also continue to provide its full support to Tonda and his staff, as we work towards achieving our goal of returning to the English Premier League”.
That play-off final is described as “the most valuable in football”. Winning it hands the victor a ticket to the top flight, along with future revenues estimated at around 200 million pounds sterling (268.1 million dollars). Southampton lost their shot at it after admitting they had monitored their rivals’ training sessions less than 72 hours before the matches.
German manager Eckert posted an apology on Southampton’s social media accounts in the wake of the crisis, insisting that watching rivals’ training sessions was a “usual practice” in other league competitions where he had previously worked.