The English FA issues its first official charge in the spying scandal

Southampton spygate 2026

Southampton clarified their position on the crisis

The English Football Association announced on Wednesday that it had filed a formal charge against Tonda Eckert, the head coach of Southampton, over the spying case that sparked widespread controversy last season.

According to the "Reuters" agency, the English FA believes Eckert approved the monitoring of training sessions held by Oxford United, Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough ahead of their matches against Southampton, a breach of the regulations governing the competition.

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An independent disciplinary commission announced last May that the coach admitted granting his approval for the conduct, which led to Southampton's exclusion from the play-off final for promotion to the English Premier League.

With the investigation now concluded, the FA charged Eckert with misconduct over his alleged breach of the regulations. The governing body confirmed, via its official account on the "X" platform, that the coach must respond by 28 July at the latest.

Southampton, for their part, issued a statement confirming they were aware of the charge. "Tonda and the club will continue to cooperate fully and transparently with the English Football Association," it read.

The statement added: "The club will also continue to provide its full support to Tonda and his staff, as we work towards our goal of returning to the English Premier League".

That exclusion cost Southampton dearly. They were barred from the play-off final for the Premier League, described as "the most expensive in football", with the winner earning promotion to the top flight alongside future financial returns estimated at around 200 million pounds sterling (268.1 million dollars). The penalty followed the club's admission that they had monitored their rivals' training sessions less than 72 hours before the matches.

In the aftermath of the crisis, the German coach published an apology via Southampton's social media accounts, insisting that watching rivals' training sessions was a "usual practice" in the other league competitions where he had previously worked.