Southampton manager Tonda Eckert “loved” the information a junior analyst intern gathered when spying on one of his team’s opponents, according to newly released messages.
The detail is among many in the written reasons released following the League Arbitration Panel’s decision to dismiss Southampton’s appeal against their punishment for ‘Spygate’.
Southampton admitted spying on Oxford, Ipswich and Middlesbrough during the 2025/26 season. They were thrown out of the play-offs – with Boro reinstated – and deducted four points next season.
Saints’ conduct was described as a “contrived and determined plan from the top down”. The panel added: “A reprimand is considered appropriate because of the way in which junior members of staff were put under pressure to carry out activities which they felt were, at the least, morally wrong.”
‘You legend – manager loved it’
The first incident Saints were punished for occurred before their Boxing Day defeat at Oxford, who had recently sacked Gary Rowett and replaced him with Craig Short.
A junior analyst intern was sent to watch Oxford training, from where he sent updates, photos and videos to Southampton coaching staff.
He received a message saying: “You legend. Manager loved it.”
Eckert said he did not view the footage and it had no impact on his preparation for a game Saints lost 2-1.
Of being asked to carry out the task, the intern said: “I didn’t really have an option and wasn’t provided an opportunity to say no. I was an intern and was doing what I was told.”
Analyst asked for Eastleigh kit to watch Ipswich training
The same intern expressed concern at being asked to observe Ipswich’s training before their draw with Southampton in April – when both sides were competing for automatic promotion to the Premier League.
He was told “the boss is adamant that someone needs to go”.
Ipswich trained at Eastleigh ahead of their game against Southampton – with a Saints analyst asking if they could be provided with Eastleigh kit if they were to watch their Championship opponents train.
Footage of the entire Ipswich training session was sent back to Southampton. Eckert said he thought someone at Eastleigh had provided the footage.
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Intern deleted LinkedIn after being caught at Boro
Southampton’s actions were revealed when the intern was caught spying on Boro’s training session ahead of their play-off semi-final.
Eckert wanted to know if Hayden Hackney, Boro’s influential midfielder, was available for the game.
Flights and accommodation were booked for the intern, who was also shown drone footage of Boro’s training ground. He again expressed concern about being asked to spy on an opponent.
The intern sent three videos from Boro training to his colleagues – which were passed to Eckert – from his position behind a tree just outside Boro’s training ground, before he was approached by four people.
The intern “rapidly” moved away, but was caught and asked to remove the footage – which he did. The intern then changed his clothes at the nearby golf club, and deleted his LinkedIn profile as he was worried Boro would discover his identity.
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An analyst suggested Saints’ media team should take down images on their platforms of manager of the month awards received by Ecekrt as the intern could be identified in the background.
Eckert said the footage gathered at Boro was of poor quality and no use to him.
The written reasons detail how analysts felt pressure to carry out jobs asked of them as a colleague had lost their job earlier in the season.
The intern was concerned for his job prospects if he did not carry out the tasks, adding he felt pressure from the coaches due to criticism of the information he gathered at Oxford.
Another analyst told a colleague: “I said all along I was never happy about it all and it wasn’t right, but no one listened to me!”
‘Wish this had been managed differently’ – Saints statement in full
On Monday evening, Southampton released a statement saying they “wish this had been managed differently from the outset”.
The statement read: “Southampton Football Club notes today’s publication by the Arbitration Panel of the written reasons behind our unsuccessful appeal of the sanctions the Disciplinary Panel previously imposed on us in the EFL proceedings.
“We accept that the club breached the relevant regulations and we recognise that the disciplinary bodies were entitled to conclude that proof of sporting advantage was not necessary in order to establish a serious offence.
Southampton’s Taylor Harwood-Bellis (left) and Middlesbrough’s Luke Ayling (right) exchanged words in their fiery play-off semi-final meeting
“The club accepts that aspects of our initial response to the situation were not treated with the level of scrutiny they required at the time. In hindsight, we wish this had been managed differently from the outset and this represented an error of judgement for which we take responsibility.
“Despite this, we are happy with the way in which we admitted the charges and offered our full cooperation and honesty once the formal EFL investigation process had started.”
“We also note that the club was judged against the very highest standards of integrity and good faith. That is entirely proper.
“What is harder to accept is that similar scrutiny does not appear to have been applied to the composition of the disciplinary panel itself, given the apparent historic and indirect connections of two panel members to Middlesbrough.
“While those connections do not by themselves prove bias, they plainly raise legitimate questions about consistency, perception and the standards of independence expected in proceedings of this magnitude.
“The club is also concerned by the weight placed on assertions that junior staff were pressurised into involvement, when some of the most serious allegations appear not to have been supported by direct evidence.
“That said, junior employees should never have been placed in a position where they felt under pressure, and the club accepts responsibility for that failure of leadership and oversight.
“This case has ultimately been decided on the basis that breach and attempted breach were enough, regardless of whether any sporting benefit was actually obtained.
“In fact, at no stage was there any finding that the club actually obtained any sporting advantage as a result of the conduct in question. That is a severe interpretation but one the disciplinary authorities were entitled to adopt under the rules as written.
“Southampton Football Club will now reflect carefully on the published reasons, review its internal processes and ensure that governance, oversight and decision-making procedures are strengthened as a result.
“Our responsibility now is to acknowledge what has happened, take ownership of the lessons it brings, and use this experience to strengthen our judgement, discipline, and integrity moving forward together as a club.”
The EFL told Sky Sports News it does not wish to comment on the matter any further.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
