Original Summary

I've asked for forgiveness and apologised publicly - Eckert More than four months since the Spygate scandal erupted, Southampton manager Tonda Eckert's wait to discover his fate for authorising an espionage campaign is almost over. In the coming days, a decisive Football Association hearing will take place, after the German coach was charged with misconduct in July. Spying on three clubs has already cost Southampton the chance of promotion to the Premier League (worth £200m), after they were expelled from the Championship play-off final. An EFL panel also docked the club four points for this season. Now Eckert could be banned. As the club prepared for the latest twist in the saga, BBC Sport spoke exclusively to both Eckert and Southampton chief executive Phil Parsons, who - in his first interview on the case - insists any further punishment would be "really tough to take". But how are the club and their coach dealing with the prospect of more turmoil? What is at stake? And why have Southampton given a permanent role to the intern who was caught spying on Middlesbrough in May? 'It's been a big, big punishment' "I would lie if I say that the summer has just been easy. Of course, if you care deeply about your profession, about the football club, there's nothing that prepares you for that. There just isn't." Eckert speaks slowly and with an intense gaze when asked to reflect on being at the centre of one of the biggest controversies in English football history. The 33-year-old apologised in June after an EFL independent disciplinary commission found he had orchestrated a "contrived and determined plan" to spy on Oxford United, Ipswich Town, then Middlesbrough before the play-off semi-final. Having insisted he was unaware it breached EFL rules, and that the spying had no impact on performances, Eckert was backed by Southampton. His team have made an encouraging start to the new season. Without the four-point deduction, they would be fourth in the table, rather than 13th. "We've talked a lot over the summer of how we want to go through that process of addressing everything, giving everyone the chance to put questions out that are still there, to put out what they feel and have gone through, and then also close the door and move on," he says. "Because the reality is it's a new season. We have big ambitions as a football club, and in order to reach them, we need to move on." That is easier said than done, with Eckert in limbo while he awaits the outcome of the FA's disciplinary process. "I've had the chance to sit down and just talk the FA through everything that happened," he says. "And now it's up to them to make a decision. I don't really have any emotions towards that." So does he feel the FA has listened to him during its investigation? "That was my impression," he says. "We sat for almost four hours, so it's been quite a long conversation." When asked whether he feels the club has been punished enough, and if a suspension for him would be excessive, Eckert chooses his words carefully. "It's been a big, big punishment," he says. "Absolutely unheard of in the history of sports. "And it's tough for me to say that because it concerns me. I'm judging on myself, not an outside situation. But I've asked for forgiveness for what I've done. I've apologised publicly. "I think the punishment has been very hard on the club for the last season. And to go into a new season on minus four. And the rest is not for me to decide." 'We've taken enough' We don't know what the FA will hand out - Parsons Parsons is more forthright on whether the club has been punished enough. "We don't know what the FA will actually hand out," he says. "It could be a long ban. It could be a short ban. It could be a suspended sentence. "What we hope as a club is they actually recognise where we are at the moment, and what we've already been through, because I think it has to be taken into account. I really feel like we've taken enough. We've been hurt. I think it's one of the largest sanctions ever when it comes to football, or even sporting, history. "This isn't just about the club, this is about people. We lose money not being in the Premier League, but [local] businesses lose money. We had to spend a huge amount on legal fees, and it really impacts the club even further. We don't want to be seen as a victim of this. We need to get on. We've had our cards dealt." When it is put to Parsons that the EFL's punishments applied to the club - rather than Eckert himself - he says: "I think it's impossible to sanction the manager without the club getting hurt even more." The most recent precedent for this case came at the 2024 Olympics women's tournament, when Fifa banned Bev Priestman - Canada's head coach - from all football for a year, after opponents New Zealand were spied on. Parsons insists "the Canadian case is very different" but if Eckert , who is only contracted until the end of the season, is also banned, how long would it have to be for the club to look elsewhere for a new coach? "We don't know," he says, firmly denying having approached other coaches in case Eckert has to leave. Parsons also says the club may appeal if the ruling goes against them. "We can't worry about something we can't control at the moment," he says. "We have to deal with it when we get there but we're hoping that they look at it sensibly." Parsons says the club's ownership "want" to back Eckert. "We've been through an entire transfer window when it comes to recruiting players for Tonda, and that's another challenge. "We have to be looking at all scenarios. We've always spoken about any punishment being disproportionate...You're looking for fairness in approach. And have we had that treatment to us, from a disproportionate punishment? Well, I think a lot of people will view it that way. But do we want to sit there moaning about it? No. "But it's going to be really tough to take if we get another punishment, on top of being thrown out of the play-offs,

中文概览

中文标题： 「我已请求原谅」——埃克特与南安普顿等待间谍门裁决

南安普顿主帅埃克特因授权刺探牛津联、伊普斯维奇和米德尔斯堡被英足总指控，即将迎来听证会裁决，可能面临禁赛。俱乐部已被逐出英冠升级附加赛决赛并新赛季被扣4分，主帅与CEO称处罚已足够重，并透露曾聘为正式员工的刺探实习生情况。

  • 情报分类：综合情报
  • 分类依据：体育赛事新闻，涉南安普顿间谍门听证与处罚裁决，不属其他类别
  • 信息来源：英语新闻 / BBC News Top Stories
  • 发布时间：2026/9/21 13:32:44