Southampton manager Tonda Eckert has avoided a heavy punishment for his role in the so-called "spygate" scandal after the Football Association (FA) announced a suspended sanction on Wednesday.
According to the ruling, the German coach was fined £28,000 (about $37,000) and given a reprimand, but was not handed a long-term ban. He remains free to continue working at the Championship club.
Southampton had previously been removed from last season's Championship play-off final and docked four points in the current campaign after admitting three English Football League (EFL) rule breaches. The violations related to the club being caught spying on Middlesbrough in the semi-finals and two other teams.
An independent EFL disciplinary panel concluded in May that Eckert had "specifically directed" the spying, casting doubt over his future at the second-tier English club. The 33-year-old coach accepted full responsibility and was charged with misconduct by the FA.
Eckert attended an FA hearing at the start of the current international break. The outcome means he can continue to lead Southampton in Sunday's match against rivals Portsmouth.
"Tonda Eckert subsequently admitted the charges, and an independent regulatory commission imposed a six-week suspension from all football and football-related activity, but this is suspended until the end of the 2027-28 season, along with a £28,000 fine and a reprimand following a hearing," the FA said on Wednesday.
"The suspended sanction will take effect if he is found to have breached the rules or regulations by requesting, permitting, collecting or using information from any form of observation of another club's training session."
Southampton said in a statement that the matter brought "an unfortunate period in our history to a close". The club, currently 13th in the Championship, said "measures have been put in place to ensure mistakes in such assessments will never be repeated at the club".
Southampton owner Dragan Solak said: "I am pleased that the independent panel has reached a decision and that we have an outcome. We have suffered enough, and we appreciate the panel recognising that. We believe the coach has learned from this matter, and a suspended sanction allows him to continue his work."
Eckert was appointed as Southampton's permanent manager in December 2025, lifting the club to fourth place in the Championship table after a poor start to the season.
