ByDaniel Austin

BBC Sport senior journalist

"I hope that over time you can understand and forgive."

Those were the words of Southampton manager Tonda Eckert, speaking to supporters in a video apology published by the club's in-house media team on Tuesday, following the Spygate scandal which led to his team being thrown out of the Championship play-offs.

The 33-year-old said he took "full responsibility" for the charges Southampton admitted during the English Football League's (EFL) investigation into the club's spying practices involving three matches in the 2025-26 season.

But he also doubled down on his previous claims that spying is common practice in Germany and Italy, where he worked before joining Saints initially as Under-21s manager last summer, and insisted that "none of what has happened made any impact on sporting performance".

In an exclusive interview with BBC Sport, Southampton owner Dragan Solak said his plan is to allow Eckert to remain in his job, despite the controversy and damage done to the club's reputation.

The decision may yet be taken out of Solak's hands, with the Football Association currently investigating Eckert's conduct. If he is charged and found guilty, he could be punished with a ban that prevents him from working in English football.

But if the choice remains Southampton's, should Eckert really be given a reprieve?

'A lot of people are divided'

Since Eckert took charge following the sacking of previous manager Will Still last autumn, no team in the Championship earned more points than Southampton, who also reached the FA Cup semi-finals and only missed out on a place in the final owing to a late comeback from Manchester City.

But the argument over whether or not to keep Eckert goes far beyond his ability as a coach.

"A lot of people are divided - the fans and I think people inside the club too," says Jo Tessem, a former midfielder who made 130 appearances for the club.

"People's kids are wearing Saints shirts to play and having 'cheat' shouted at them. That's serious and it really hurts people. There is a lot of rebuilding to do to get that label gone.

"If I were a player now I would be extremely disappointed and angry with the club and the staff. How do you turn that around? I haven't got an answer to that.

"Dragan has said what he wants to do. Now the club has to sell [keeping Eckert] as an idea and try to build bridges.

"I think it needs to be tidied up as quickly as possible. We need to be able to move forward."

'Keeping him would be a big risk'

Were Eckert to be in the dugout when Saints kick off their 2026-27 campaign in August, hampered by the four-point deduction which forms part of their punishment from the EFL, then those in the stands will have to contend with the fact that the man who both guided them into the play-offs and then cost them their place remains their leader.

Would dragging the scandal into another season really be welcome for fans?

"Southampton see Eckert as an excellent young manager," says Steve Grant, co-host of the Total Saints fan podcast.

"While this stuff has happened, from their perspective I think it would be foolish to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

"There is a real split between people saying 'let's not overreact, we've got a really good manager' and the opposite side taking the moralistic view and saying, 'we've been caught cheating and he has gone beyond the line of acceptability'.

"Keeping him would be a big risk. But football fans are very fickle and if he wins a few games at the start of next season then people will forget about this."

'Southampton need to sort out mess they made themselves'

For those associated with the club, the desire to watch a successful team next season is blended with a need to shake off the damage Eckert's actions have caused.

One of the more egregious conclusions drawn by the EFL investigation into Southampton's practices was that the young analyst intern who was caught spying outside Middlesbrough's training ground had raised concerns about the task he was given, but was put "under extreme pressure" to carry it out by more senior personnel, including Eckert.

In many workplaces, a senior staff member pressuring a junior colleague into performing a task which violates industry rules would be met with a swift and significant punishment.

But Solak told BBC Sport that the intern was at fault for not kicking up more of a fuss, saying: "I believe that our junior intern felt personally it's wrong, and he didn't feel right for doing this, and I think he should have expressed that stronger."

Solak insisted he has subsequently offered the intern analyst a full-time job with the club.

But the treatment of a young, inexperienced member of staff has raised concerns about the club's culture.

"The club has lacked in terms of leading on the problem, and sorting out their own mess," Tessem adds.

"I hope they have all learned a very harsh lesson. When you've been caught red handed, you need to take responsibility for the situation."

If Southampton do manage to keep Eckert in his job, then the question of whether the club really has learned that lesson will continue to be asked.

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