Southampton have welcomed the FAs decision to give head coach Tonda Eckert a six-week suspended ban from football, �28,000 fine and warning after being charged with three rule breaches over the Spygate scandal last season. Saints were expelled from the Championship play-offs by the EFL in May after admitting to charges of spying on Middlesbrough before their semi-final tie, which the club won 2-1 on aggregate courtesy of a victory by the same scoreline in their home second leg.They were also found to have committed offences before Championship games against Ipswich Town and Oxford United.Tonda Eckert FA punishment: Full Southampton statementSouthampton welcomed the outcome. We hope this now brings a conclusion to a regrettable period of our history, the club said.Measures have been put in place to ensure that such errors in judgement never happen again at our club.The suspended ban will last until June 2028 and be imposed if Eckert is found guilty of requesting, authorising, taking or using information from any observation of the training of another club, in whatever guise that observation may take.Owner Dragan Solak echoed the relief voiced in Southamptons statement. We have already suffered enough and we appreciate the panels recognition of that, the Serbian billionaire said.We are confident the manager has learned from this matter and a suspended sentence allows him to continue in his role.I firmly believe that Tonda is one of Europes most exciting young coaches and, with this distraction removed, I am confident he can lead the team to a successful season.Id like to thank our fans for standing by us and showing the team so much support during a time when we have needed them more than ever.The FA process has been a positive experience. Tonda has been given the opportunity to be open and honest with the panel, and the panel has been able to see that he is simply a good person who made poor decisions.The same cannot be said for the EFL process and the way they have subsequently treated us is not something we will forget.However, now is the time to look forward to what I believe will be a great future for our club.Spygate: What punishment did Southampton receive?In addition to being kicked out of the play-off final against eventual victors Hull City, Southampton were handed a four-point deduction this season. They are currently 13th, with 10 points from eight matches.The club appealed against the EFLs decision, alleging the punishment was manifestly disproportionate. That claim was dismissed by an arbitration panel.Tonda Eckert role in Spygate scandalEckert was the central figure in the drama and had shown his frustration by storming out of his post-match news conference following the second leg against Middlesbrough when asked if he was a cheat.The German, who oversaw a remarkable upturn in Saints form after replacing Will Still in November 2025, authorised the spying in what was described by an independent disciplinary commission as a contrived and determined plan from the top down.How did Tonda Eckert respond to spying scandal?Eckert said sorry for his actions in an emotional social media post in June.Speaking to the clubs social media channels, he said: What Im going to say is not going to be perfect, but I will try to be as honest and clear as I can be.I think you deserve that. For everything thats happened, I do want to apologise, and I hold my hand up because as a head coach, I am responsible.I am responsible for everything that has happened in this football club. I am responsible for everything that has happened in my coaching staff.I do apologise to the supporters, to everyone who has travelled with us, who has supported us over so many games.To the ones who have shared emotions game by game, who have managed to bring us all the way up to this very end of the season.We were supposed to play the biggest game of the season. I apologise to the players, who have done absolutely everything that they can.They have done absolutely everything in the last six months to bring this club back to where it belongs. They would have deserved to play the final.I apologise to all of the clubs that have been involved, and mostly I apologise to our supporters.Southampton owner Solak on EckertSolak said he would stand by the embattled 33-year-old in the immediate aftermath of the controversy.Speaking to BBC Sport, Solak said: He deserves a second chance and I would give it to him. My full support would be behind him actually, because I think hes a super-talented manager.I believe Tonda that he didnt know that it was the rule that he was breaking.My personal opinion, and the opinion of the board, is that he is a manager who deserves to be backed by us and to be supported by us.I will obviously seek advice from the team. I will seek advice from the players, from the fans. But yes, if its ultimately my decision, he stays.Solak said he hoped Eckert would learn from his mistake and there would be no repeat.He added: I told him: You almost broke my heart. You do it again, youll kill me. The next time I see you in July, if you dont know the EFL book of rules by heart, you cant work for me. We cant have another mistake.I truly hope that he will learn from this experience and he will achieve an incredible career. Topics EFL EFL Championship Ipswich Town F.C. Oxford United F.C. Southampton F.C. If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read The Premier League returns: The five storylines to follow including Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea Jon Fisher 7th October, 2026 Ipswich 2-4 Arsenal: Dowman at the double as Gunners ease into fourth round Nicholas McGee 15th September, 2026 Ipswich v Arsenal LIVE: Can Gunners maintain 100% record against Tractor Boys? 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