Southampton boss Eckert stays on after Spygate ban: 'It changes your life'

Southampton boss Tonda Eckert can carry on in the job after a suspended ban for Spygate. The 33-year-old spoke openly about the cost.

"It's tough. It changes your life," Eckert said at Southampton's Staplewood training ground on Thursday.

The Football Association gave him a six-week ban, suspended, and a £28,000 fine for his part in the scandal, BBC Sport reported. Suspended means he stays in the dugout. He only serves the ban if he breaks the rules again.

The case ran for more than four months. The FA had pushed for a three-month immediate ban. An independent commission instead gave Eckert credit for what it called considerable mitigation, most particularly around genuine contrition.

Southampton were thrown out of the Championship play-offs in May. The play-offs are the end-of-season knockout ties that decide the final promotion place to the Premier League. The club admitted watching rivals train before the play-off semi-final.

Those sessions involved Oxford United, Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough. Southampton owner Dragan Solak had already said in the summer that Eckert would keep his job despite helping to orchestrate the spying, according to AP.

Eckert has now apologised directly to at least one rival. Middlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg received a phone call from the Southampton boss to say sorry over the affair, BBC Sport reported. Eckert said he made a mistake.

He faced a misconduct charge under the FA's Rule E3.1, which covers behaviour that brings the game into disrepute. His hearing was listed for Thursday.

What makes this stand out is the timing. Southampton face Portsmouth on Sunday at 12:00 BST. It is the south-coast derby, the fixture that fills the calendar for both sets of supporters.

For fans, this means a strange week. The club has dealt with shame in May, a long wait for judgment, and now a fierce rival. Eckert will lead the team into it.