Southampton Spygate Panel Details Show Eckert Praised Intern Spying
9 verified1 unconfirmed1 contested
Newly released written reasons from the League Arbitration Panel reveal that Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert “loved” information gathered by a junior intern spying on opponents. Southampton admitted spying on Oxford United, Ipswich Town, and Middlesbrough during the 2025/26 season, leading to expulsion from the Championship playoffs and a four-point deduction in the following season. According to the panel, the first incident occurred before the Boxing Day match against Oxford when Eckert asked for someone to observe training. An intern sent updates, photos, and videos back to the club and received a WhatsApp message saying, “You legend. Manager loved it.” The intern stated he felt he had no option but to comply. The panel described the club’s conduct as a “contrived and determined plan from the top down” and noted that junior staff were pressured to carry out morally questionable activities. Southampton released a statement accepting responsibility and acknowledging that aspects of their initial response were not treated with sufficient scrutiny.
What’s verified
Southampton manager Tonda Eckert “loved” the information a junior analyst intern gathered while spying on an opponent.
Southampton admitted spying on Oxford, Ipswich, and Middlesbrough during the 2025/26 season.
The club was thrown out of the play-offs and deducted four points in the next Championship season.
The first spying incident occurred before the Boxing Day match at Oxford; the intern was sent to watch training and received a message stating, “You legend. Manager loved it.”
The intern expressed concern about being asked to spy and said he “didn’t really have an option.”
For the Ipswich incident, the intern was told “the boss is adamant that someone needs to go.”
The intern was caught spying on Middlesbrough training; Eckert wanted to know if midfielder Hayden Hackney was available.
Eckert stated that footage from Middlesbrough was of poor quality and of no benefit to him.
The intern felt his job prospects would be at risk if he did not carry out the tasks.
Where accounts differ
One source reports that the panel found the club gained sporting advantage from their spying, noting “sporting advantage is different from sporting success.” Another source includes a club statement that says “at no stage was there any finding that the club actually obtained any sporting advantage as a result of the conduct in question.”
Not yet confirmed
The intern deleted his LinkedIn profile after being caught at Middlesbrough. The intern was shown drone footage of Middlesbrough’s training ground and was caught by four people, changing clothes at a nearby golf club. The intern sent three videos from Middlesbrough training. An analyst suggested taking down images of Eckert’s manager of the month awards because the intern could be identified in the background. The club’s statement questioned connections of two panel members to Middlesbrough. The Football Association is continuing an investigation into Eckert. The English Football League declined to comment further.
Key figures
Tonda Eckert (Southampton head coach/manager)
Craig Short (Oxford United interim head coach)
Gary Rowett (former Oxford United head coach)
Hayden Hackney (Middlesbrough midfielder)
Cameron Brannagan (Oxford United player)
Sources: Sky Sports, The Guardian
