Southampton owner will not sack apologetic Eckert despite role in Spygate scandal

Tonda Eckert has apologised for orchestrating the Spygate scandal that culminated in Southampton being kicked out of the Championship playoff final . Southampton, who observed training sessions of three opponents last season, were denied the chance to win promotion after an independent disciplinary commission found the club “seriously violated” the integrity of the competition. Eckert, publicly addressing the six charges made by the English Football League for the first time in a video message released by the club, said he accepted “full responsibility”, adding: “I apologise to all of the clubs that have been involved and mostly I apologise to our supporters.” In a similar address, the Southampton owner, Dragan Solak, said he wants the German head coach who is under investigation from the Football Association, to lead the club into the Premier League next season. Eckert cited his coaching experiences in Germany and Italy and Pep Guardiola’s previous comments as “context” to the spying missions. Eckert ordered analysts to observe Oxford United and Ipswich Town during the regular season, before sending an analyst to Middlesbrough on the eve of their playoff semi-final first leg. In Germany, Eckert worked for Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig and FC Koln, and in Italy he worked at Genoa alongside Southampton’s current sporting director, Johannes Spors. …