Southampton were kicked out of the Championship play-offs earlier this month after a member of their staff was spotted watching Middlesbrough train.
Tonda Eckert’s future at Southampton remains uncertain (Image: Robin Jones/Getty Images)
Southampton players want Tonda Eckert to continue as head coach despite being ruled out of the Championship play-offs due to a spying scandal, it has been claimed.
Saints had booked a play-off final against Hull City at Wembley after defeating Middlesbrough in two legs. However, it was revealed that a club employee had been given permission by Southampton’s head coach to spy on a Middlesbrough training session, leading to him being charged with ‘spygate’ and being removed from the competition.
Eckert has been under intense scrutiny since the independent disciplinary committee’s decision, with the FA also launching an investigation into the matter.
However, The Sun reports that Southampton’s players still support him despite the fact that the 33-year-old could be handed a ban for authorizing three spy missions against Boro, Ipswich and Oxford.
A source told the magazine: “Despite what happened, most of the team had an overwhelmingly positive reaction to Tonda.
“Obviously not everyone was completely happy, but most believe that keeping Tonda as manager gives them the best chance of promotion to the Premier League next season.”
Despite claims that the majority of the team wants Eckert to stay, there have been conflicting reports in recent weeks that his position may no longer be tenable.
Southampton are yet to decide whether to retain the German and could potentially sack him as the club continues to digest the impact of their play-off defeat, while starting the season at the bottom of the Championship with four points difference. Eckert also faces the possibility of a long suspension.
Southampton were due to qualify for the Championship play-off final before being expelled (Image: Matt Watson/Southampton FC via Getty Images)
The ruling by an independent disciplinary committee condemned the “deplorable approach” taken by the club to allow young staff to watch rival training.
They said in their judgment: “We conclude that there was an elaborate and determined top-down plan on the part of the defendant (Southampton) to gain a competitive advantage in a truly important competition by deliberately attending the opponent’s training ground for the purpose of gaining tactical and selection information.”
“This was much more than an innocent operation and was a particularly deplorable practice in which junior staff were used to carry out covert observations at the direction of senior staff.
“Video footage and observations were transmitted, internally disseminated, and analyzed.”
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