Southampton’s owner, Dragan Solak, has thrown his support behind head coach, Tonda Eckert, despite the spying scandal that led to the club’s expulsion from the Championship play-offs and a points deduction for the upcoming season.
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Solak said the German coach “deserves a second chance” and insisted he has no plans to dismiss him, even after an independent disciplinary commission concluded that Eckert had orchestrated a covert operation to observe rival teams’ training sessions.
“I think he deserves a second chance and I would give it to him,” Solak said. “My full support would be behind him because I think he’s a super-talented manager.”
Eckert, 33, was appointed permanently in December after a brief spell as caretaker manager and guided Southampton from a relegation battle to a fourth-place finish, securing a Championship play-off berth.
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However, the club’s promotion hopes collapsed after Southampton admitted to spying on opponents’ training sessions during the season.
The club was subsequently expelled from the play-offs and handed a four-point deduction for the 2026-27 Championship campaign.
An independent commission found that Eckert had overseen what it described as a “contrived and determined plan from the top down” to monitor rival clubs, including Oxford United, Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough.
Despite the findings, Solak maintained that the coach was unaware that the practice violated English Football League regulations.
“I believe Tonda when he says he didn’t know he was breaking a rule,” Solak said. “The board believes he deserves to be supported.”
The Southampton owner revealed that he had nonetheless warned Eckert against any future breaches.
“I told him he almost broke my heart. The next time I see him, he must know the EFL rulebook by heart because we cannot afford another mistake,” he said.
The controversy may not be over, however, as the Football Association continues to investigate the matter and could still bring charges against the coach.
Solak said he would continue supporting Eckert even if disciplinary action followed, though he acknowledged that any suspension would prevent him from managing the team.
The businessman also criticised the sanctions imposed on Southampton, describing them as excessive and disproportionate.
According to him, the punishment cost the club a chance to secure promotion to the Premier League, a move potentially worth hundreds of millions of pounds in revenue.
Solak insisted he was unaware of the spying operation until reports emerged publicly.
“I actually found out through social media,” he said. “Even senior people at the club thought it was a joke when the story first surfaced.”
While acknowledging wrongdoing, Solak argued that the impact of the offence had been overstated.
