Southampton manager Tonda Ekert has avoided dismissal after an independent Football Association regulatory commission imposed a six-week suspended ban, a £28,000 fine and an official reprimand over his involvement in one of English football’s biggest spying scandals.
The 33-year-old German will be available to continue in his role, with the suspension suspended until the end of next season. The decision is subject to the possibility of an appeal by the Football Association.
According to the BBC, the FA had initially proposed a three-month suspension, a punishment that could have ended Ekert’s time at Southampton. However, the commission found significant mitigating circumstances, particularly what it described as his genuine remorse.
Southampton welcomed the ruling in an official statement.
“We hope this brings an end to a regrettable period in our history. Steps have been taken to ensure that such errors of judgement are not repeated at our club,” the club said, while thanking supporters for their “unconditional support”.
Club owner Dragan Solak said Southampton had already suffered enough and welcomed the commission’s recognition of that.
“We are confident the manager has learned from this matter, and I firmly believe Tonda is one of the most exciting young coaches in Europe,” Solak said.
“With this obstacle removed, I am confident he can lead the team to a successful season.”
Solak also criticised the English Football League, contrasting its treatment of Southampton with what he called the positive approach taken by the FA.
“The way they treated us is not something we will forget,” he said.
Three spying operations
The commission’s report detailed three spying operations admitted by Southampton. The club was removed from last May’s promotion play-off final and deducted four points this season as a result.
In the case involving Oxford United, Ekert arranged surveillance to establish whether the team would use a back four or a back five under its new manager.
The commission accepted that Ekert had not initiated the attempt to obtain recordings from an Ipswich Town training session.
Before the play-off semi-final against Middlesbrough, however, Ekert sent an individual to the opposition’s training ground to check whether midfielder Hayden Hackney was fit to play.
The commission concluded that the incidents formed part of a deliberate plan, organised from the top down, to gain a competitive advantage in important competitions by deliberately attending opponents’ training grounds to obtain tactical information.
The panel described the breaches as “very serious”, but said it was entirely satisfied that Ekert did not know his actions breached English Football League rules or were morally wrong. It also rejected any suggestion that the conduct was systematic or organised.
Ekert was described as a particularly impressive witness who had reflected deeply and seriously on what happened. The commission said his remorse was profound and genuine.
It decided that a three-month suspension could cost him his job, effectively imposing an additional punishment on Southampton. That was considered a clear and compelling reason to suspend the ban.
Ekert took temporary charge in December 2025 with Southampton 21st in the table before being appointed permanently after guiding them to fourth. They are currently 13th on 10 points after eight matches, ahead of their meeting with rivals Portsmouth.
The case recalls Marcelo Bielsa’s spying on Derby County while Leeds United manager in March 2019. The FA issued a warning, while the league fined Leeds £200,000 and introduced a rule banning surveillance of opponents’ training sessions within 72 hours of a match. That regulation was applied most severely last year when Canada manager Bev Priestman was suspended for a year after spying on New Zealand at the 2024 Olympics.
