Tonda Eckert handed suspended FA ban over Middlesbrough training footage

Southampton manager Tonda Eckert will remain on the touchline after receiving a suspended six-week Football Association ban and a £28,000 fine over the filming of Middlesbrough training sessions before last season’s Championship play-off semi-final.

The 33-year-old has accepted the sanction, while Middlesbrough boss Hellberg said the matter had been addressed privately months ago. Eckert called to apologise after the incident, and Hellberg believes the focus should now return to football.

Quick facts

• Eckert has been given a suspended six-week ban and fined £28,000 by the FA.
• Southampton were found to have filmed Middlesbrough training before the May play-off semi-final first leg.
• The club also admitted similar breaches involving Oxford United and Ipswich Town.
• Southampton were removed from the play-offs and began the current campaign with a four-point deduction.
• The Saints are 13th in the Championship on 10 points, with four wins and two draws recorded.
• Southampton host Middlesbrough on November 27.

Hellberg, speaking before Middlesbrough’s match against Wolves, said the ruling was no longer a matter for his club. He said Eckert had contacted him some months earlier to offer an apology and that it was time for everyone involved to move forward.

The Boro manager added that the legal authorities had reached their decision and that he did not want the disciplinary process to remain a distraction during the season.

The original breach concerned Southampton’s recording of a Middlesbrough session ahead of the first leg of their play-off semi-final in May. Further admissions concerning preparation for league matches against Oxford and Ipswich led to separate EFL action, including Southampton’s play-off disqualification and the points penalty imposed for this campaign.

Eckert addressed the outcome before Southampton’s South Coast derby with Portsmouth at St Mary’s. Because the suspension is not active, he will be able to take his place in the dugout for that fixture.

He said the lengthy process had made the final outcome difficult to predict, noting that the club had already received an EFL verdict before the FA case was concluded. Eckert said he would again accept responsibility for his actions.

The Southampton manager made clear he would not contest the punishment, including in response to those who feel a suspended ban did not go far enough. He said the error was his and that he must accept whatever consequences followed.

Southampton’s board has continued to back Eckert as the club attempts to build on a steady opening to the Championship season. Their next meeting with Middlesbrough, scheduled for November 27, will bring the two sides together for the first time since the disciplinary case was resolved.