2 more disasters in sight for Southampton as worst 'Spygate' punishment is yet to come

EFL punished Southampton with a playoff final expulsion and a 4-point deduction. But the worst punishment is yet to come.

It’s over. Southampton lost their last-ditch appeal against Championship playoff final expulsion last night and with that, it’s curtains down for the Saints 2025/26 season.

To be fair, no Southampton fan had supported the ‘Spygate’ scandal ever since it broke 10 days ago. It was an offence in everybody’s eyes with many Saints fans willingly accepting a significant fine and a points deduction for the next season.

However, the way the saga has unfolded with Southampton and Tonda Eckert, in particular admitting spying guilt on 2 more occasions against Oxford United and Ipswich Town has soured moods. Now, it’s no longer a one-off offence in the eyes of the St. Mary’s faithful.

The EFL have sounded the ‘Spygate’ verdict on their part, with a playoff final expulsion and a 4 points deduction effective for the 2026/27 Championship season. But is that it? No.

Following EFL’s punishment, the FA have begun their own investigation into the matter. And honestly, it can go from bad to worse for Southampton by the look of things.

2 more ‘Spygate’ disasters in sight for Southampton

Mass firing at Saints boardroom level

Right from the bat, the biggest disaster waiting for Southampton is mass firing at boardroom level. Not saying, there should be no reprimand for the individuals who have been behind this mess at Southampton.

They should be punished by the club and, if possible, sanctioned by the FA too for having a hand in spying rival clubs. But there are some important members at the club who will end up leaving the building due to it.

Firstly, Tonda Eckert. Until 2 days ago, he was the brightest Southampton manager hired by Sport Republic with virtually no ceiling on his coaching potential. Now that he has claimed guilty of intentionally spying clubs, fans want him out and they are well within their rights to demand so.

But think for a second. Is there any coach out there tactically better than Eckert and willing enough to lead Southampton in the Championship? The answer is no. And if Sport Republic’s history says anything, it’s that they rarely get one manager appointment right.

If Eckert is forced out, that will most likely mean Southampton clinging to a terrible manager with diminishing hopes of making it to the Premier League in the immediate future.

The same goes for Johannes Spors. Yes, he may be one among the guilty lot at Southampton but nobody can deny he has a sharp eye for talent. Apart from paying £7m for Damion Downs, all of Spors signings have been spot on including the likes of Leo Scienza, Finn Azaz, Caspar Jander and winter loanees Daniel Peretz, Cyle Larin among others.

Without him, Southampton will return to signing poor players for heavy transfer fees. And that never ends well in football.

More fines for Southampton to follow

EFL ended the ‘Spygate’ case with a playoff final expulsion and a 4-point deduction for Southampton for the forthcoming 2026/27 season. But FA are on it, and so are Championship rivals Millwall and Wrexham.

According to a Guardian report: “Millwall and Wrexham could seek to test whether the EFL rulebook has been correctly applied or whether the disciplinary process was flawed, and could argue that because Southampton’s spying on Middlesbrough took place before the playoffs, they should have been replayed without Southampton’s involvement.”

It’s not a good look. Southampton’s defence on the case is weak and it isn’t a secret, so if Millwall and Wrexham come demanding for damages to their playoffs aspirations the FA will most likely give in to them.

A fine worth multi-million pounds can follow. More points deduction can’t be ruled out just yet, especially if Millwall and Wrexham gather some evidence of Southampton spying against them as well.

Right now, it’s a harsh punishment for Southampton to start the following season with a 4-point deficit. But the Saints should consider themselves lucky, if they get out of this situation without more significant damage. Let’s see when this ‘Spygate’ saga closes, once and for all.