Southampton punished over Tonda Eckert rival spying case

Southampton FC have been ruled guilty of running a “top-down” surveillance scheme against other clubs, with head coach Tonda Eckert authorising the activity.

The independent commission found that junior employees were sent to secretly watch opponents train, a serious breach of rules meant to protect fair competition. Southampton accepted that several Championship rivals had been targeted and were thrown out of the play-offs. Their appeal failed, leaving the club with a four-point deduction for next season.