Tonda Eckert is free to continue as Southampton manager after being given a suspended ban for his role in the Spygate scandal.
A Football Association (FA) independent regulatory commission handed the German a six-week ban from all football, but suspended it until the end of next season.
Eckert has also been given a £28,000 fine and reprimand but avoided a lengthy ban that could have cost him his job.
The FA had proposed a three-month ban, but the commission gave credit to Eckert for what they called “considerable mitigation in this matter, most particularly around the genuine contrition”.
The FA is yet to confirm whether it will appeal.
In a statement, Southampton welcomed the decision.
“We hope this now brings a conclusion to a regrettable period of our history, and measures have been put in place to ensure that such errors in judgement never happen again at our club,” the club said.
“We want to take this opportunity to thank the supporters for their unconditional backing throughout this process.”
Saints owner Dragan Solak said the club had “already suffered enough”.
“We appreciate the panel’s recognition of that,” he said.
“We are confident the manager has learned from this matter, and a suspended sentence allows him to continue in his role.
“I firmly believe that Tonda is one of Europe’s most exciting young coaches, and with this distraction removed, I am confident he can lead the team to a successful season.”
Solak said the FA process had been a “positive experience”, but criticised the English Football League (EFL), saying “the way they have treated us is not something we will forget”.
Saints were expelled from the Championship play-offs in May after admitting spying on training sessions involving Oxford United, Ipswich Town, and Middlesbrough before the play-off semi-final.
They were also handed a four-point deduction for this season.
An English Football League (EFL) independent disciplinary commission ruled at the time the espionage was authorised by Eckert and was a “contrived and determined plan from the top down”.
The 33-year-old apologised in June – claiming he was unaware the practice was banned and that it had no impact on his team’s performances – but the FA charged him with misconduct, and a hearing took place at the end of last month.
Eckert has been sanctioned for three breaches of FA Rule E3.1. The six-week ban from all football activity would be triggered if he was found to be involved in any other spying between now and the end of next season.
Eckert was appointed permanent Southampton manager in December 2025 after taking interim charge when they were 21st in the Championship. They finished the season in fourth place.
Saints, who face local rivals Portsmouth this weekend, are 13th in the Championship this season with four wins from their eight matches so far.
The FA did not charge Leeds United’s former manager Marcelo Bielsa after the club were found guilty of spying on Derby in 2019, instead issuing a formal warning.
The EFL fined Leeds £200,000 – which Bielsa said he paid – and introduced a rule prohibiting any club from observing a rival’s training session within 72 hours of a match between them.
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.
