Southampton boss Eckert apologizes but will not be sacked for key role in Spygate scandal
Tonda Eckert has issued a full apology to Southampton fans and players, admitting he was a “young coach who made a mistake”, but will not be fired for his role in the Spygate scandal.
Saints were kicked out of the competition’s play-offs after pleading guilty to testing Middlesbrough before their semi-final, which Southampton won 1-0, and before regular season games against Ipswich Town and Oxford United.
In addition to being kicked out of the play-off final against Hull City, Southampton were also stripped of four points for next season.
The club appealed, claiming the punishment was “manifestly proportionate”. However, that claim was dismissed by an arbitration panel.
Southampton manager Eckert finally shows remorse
Eckert is a key player in the game and has shown some emotional distress when discussing it, walking out of the post-match press conference following the second leg against Middlesbrough when he was asked if he was a cheater.
The German, who has overseen Saints’ dramatic rise in form after taking over from Will Still in November, commissioned a probe into what the independent disciplinary commission described as “a structured and dictated system from top to bottom”.
And he chose this morning to issue a full apology.
Speaking on the group’s social media, he said: “What I will say will not be complete, but I will try to be as honest and clear as possible.”
“I think he deserves that, for everything that happened, I want to apologize, and I raise my hand because as a head coach, I am responsible.
“I am dealing with everything that has happened in this football team, I am dealing with everything that has happened in my coaching staff.
“I apologize to the fans, to everyone who came with us, who supported us in so many games.
“For those who shared their feelings game after game, they were able to bring us to the end of the season.
“We should have played the biggest game of the season, I apologize to the players who did everything they could.
“They have done everything in the last six months to bring this club back to where it belongs.
“I apologize to all the clubs involved, and especially to our fans.”
Eckert says he brought the Italian culture of espionage to Southampton
Before moving to St Mary’s, Eckert worked as Alexander Blessin’s assistant at Genoa and says the culture of watching rivals was a common thing in Italy.
“When I worked in Italy for more than four years, every team we selected for these games always came out to the media before the games,” he added.
“The reason is that our training sessions, especially before the games, have been watched by the media and watched by the teams we will face.
“[Pep] Guardiola talked about this when he was at Bayern Munich, that it was common in Germany to watch training sessions, knowing that other teams would do the same.
“I don’t want to say this to justify anything we’ve done, I want to give you the context of how I grew up in football.
“There are different rules in England. There are different rules in the EFL. And I should have known.”
Speaking specifically about the Middlesbrough game, he said: “When I look back to prepare for the semi-final against Middlesbrough, we were together as a coaching staff on Monday.
“When we were preparing for this game, we also wanted to find out if Middlesbrough will play Hayden Hackney and if he will return fit for this game.
“We have decided that on Monday we will send someone to look at the practice to find out if he will be there for the game or not.
“We practice on Tuesday, we have finished preparing on Wednesday, on Wednesday we have given our players a team to start the game, we have finished preparing tactics.
“We disclosed our training plan, and we disclosed our meeting from Wednesday to demonstrate. And this is a paradox in the cases.”
Southampton did not benefit from the spying, Eckert said
He went on to say: “None of this has affected the playing of sports. I don’t want to use this as an excuse, but since I promise to be honest and clear, I also want to give you a little context.
“I think you deserve to get the context of what happened, it was the players, and it was always the players.
“In every game, it’s the players who have made a difference, it’s been the players who have been sacrificing everything in their private lives for many months to bring this football club back to the Premier League.
“I am a young coach, I made a mistake, I take full responsibility. I want to thank you [owner] Dragon [Solak] and a support board, especially in times like these.
“With everything I said, off the record and without a pre-defined statement. I am speaking to you from the heart, I hope you are aware of what has happened in the past weeks.
“I hope that in time you can understand and forgive, and I hope to see you all soon.”
Southampton owner Solak will stick with Eckert
Eckert will see the Southampton fans at the start of next season, although he is unlikely to receive a warm welcome, after Solak said he would be against the 33-year-old.
Speaking to BBC Sport, the Serbian said: “I think he deserves a second chance and I would give it to him.
“I believe that Tonda did not know that he was breaking the law.
“My personal opinion and the opinion of the board is that he is a manager who should be supported by us and supported by us. Obviously I will seek advice from the team. I will seek advice from the players, from the fans. But yes, if it is ultimately my decision, he stays.”
Solak hopes Eckert will learn from his mistake and it won’t happen again.
He added: “I said to him: ‘You almost broke my heart. You’re doing it again, you’re going to kill me. Next time I see you in July, if you don’t know the EFL rule book by heart, you can’t work for me. Because, we won’t have another mistake.
“I hope he will learn from this and achieve a great career.”
