The EFL has thrown the book at Southampton over Spygate but the fallout from the cheating scandal does not appear to be over just yet.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, an Independent Disciplinary Commission expelled Southampton from the play-offs<\/a> following the club\u2019s admission that it had spied on and filmed three Championship rivals \u2013 Oxford in December, Ipswich in April, and the incident that opened the can of worms, Middlesbrough in May.<\/p>\n Additionally, Southampton will start next season with a four-point deduction, making it one of the most severe punishments in EFL history and an incredibly embarrassing moment in the history of the St Mary\u2019s club.<\/p>\n The embarrassment, though, may not be over there as there are still many questions to be answered.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Will Southampton appeal and what will come of it?<\/p>\n While the club has not said anything since the news broke, reports suggest they will appeal the verdict on Wednesday and argue the punishment is disproportionate.<\/p>\n But from the outside, it seems more like an appeal of hope than expectation.<\/p>\n Southampton have admitted to three cases of cheating and rule-breaking so it is hard to see what argument they could make that would see them reinstated into the play-offs.<\/p>\n The points deduction may well be reduced or even removed but even that seems hopeful.<\/p>\n The EFL has said it would be \u201cworking to try and resolve any appeal on Wednesday 20 May\u201d given there is supposed to be a final played on Saturday, so this particular question should be answered fairly soon.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n What next for Southampton?<\/p>\n Presuming Southampton\u2019s appeal is dismissed, there is the question of what comes next for Southampton.<\/p>\n The short answer is Championship football; the long answer could be this rumbles on all summer.<\/p>\n According to The Athletic, the Southampton players are exploring legal options against their own club which would be based around loss of earnings.<\/p>\n Some players took a 40 per cent pay cut following relegation from the Premier League and would argue the club has denied them a chance to secure that back.<\/p>\n It seems flimsy but the squad is due to meet with the club and have contacted the Professional Footballers\u2019 Association for advice.<\/p>\n On a more likely note, it is hard to see how any of their players would want to stay next season if that trust has been broken and Eckert remains in post.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n What of Tonda Eckert?<\/p>\n One of the big questions yet to be answered is what happens to Tonda Eckert?<\/p>\n A month ago, he was being praised as one of the best managers in the league and at 33 years of age, looked to have a long future in the game, but all of that is now in question.<\/p>\n Eckert\u2019s defence is reportedly that the practice is common in Europe and he was unaware it was a rule in England, which is very flimsy. For a start, he was an assistant at Barnsley in August 2020, less than a year after Leeds\u2019 own Spygate<\/a>.<\/p>\n Secondly, does he honestly expect anyone to believe that no one in the club took him aside to say this was against the rules?<\/p>\n