"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.
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.
2 days ago
