Complete Spygate timeline: How Eckert scandal actually unfolded at Saints

Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert is set to learn his fate following an FA investigation into the club's Spygate saga. Southampton were expelled from the Championship play-off final in May after being found to have spied on three opponents' training sessions. Eckert admitted to authorizing the missions and faces three FA charges of bringing the game into disrepute.

The controversy began in December 2025 before a match against Oxford United, then managed by interim boss Craig Short following Gary Rowett's dismissal. Eckert sought tactical details and Cameron Brannagan's fitness status, prompting a Saints analyst to send an intern to watch Oxford train.