The Southampton supporters responded with sarcastic applause, then drowned out the noise with songs of their own. This is what life is now like for Southampton after May’s spying scandal – a saga whose full consequences are still unknown and could have ramifications for the season ahead. The English Football League acted swiftly after photographs emerged of a junior staff member hiding behind a tree to film a Middlesbrough training session, expelling Southampton from the Championship play-offs and deducting four points after the club admitted multiple spying offences, including on Oxford United and Ipswich.
The Football Association’s case against Tonda Eckert, the manager, is taking far longer. And patience is wearing thin. The incident left a deep stain on Southampton’s reputation, one that will take time to fade and will leave an indelible mark on their history.
Fans initially felt a mixture of fury and embarrassment – their promotion hopes snatched away over smartphone footage of a rival’s training session. Still, it has not stopped them flocking to St Mary’s this season: attendances were a shade under 30,000 for visits from Stoke, Millwall and Swansea and a season-high of 30,132 made Saturday’s Bristol City match almost a sell-out. A fine or short ban would be manageable.
But Bev Priestman was banned for a year by Fifa, while manager of Canada, after two staff members used a drone to spy on an opponent at the Paris Olympics, so there is precedent for a lengthy suspension. That would likely see Eckert be removed as manager. It is nearly two months since the FA charged Eckert with misconduct, even though the EFL’s independent panel took a matter of days to determine Eckert authorised the spying and that it was a “contrived and determined plan from the top down”.
Chelsea received fines and suspended transfer bans from the Premier League and FA for systemic breaches of agent rules between 2009 and 2022. Yet Southampton have been kicked out of a competition, docked four points and may lose their manager for filming some training sessions. If anything, Southampton fans have begun leaning into the pantomime-villain role.
On the hour, a chant of “We spy when we want, we spy when we want, we are Southampton, we spy when we want” broke out. Within a minute, Cyle Larin had put them two in front with his second of the match. While awaiting a verdict, the club have been preparing for all eventualities.
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