Tonda Eckert has apologised for orchestrating the spying scandal that culminated in Southampton being kicked out of the Championship playoff final. Southampton, who observed training sessions of three opponents during the season, were denied the chance to win promotion after an independent disciplinary commission found the club “seriously violated” the integrity of the competition.
Eckert, publicly addressing the six charges made by the English Football League for the first time in a video message released by the club, said he accepted “full responsibility”, adding: “I apologise to all of the clubs that have been involved and mostly I apologise to our supporters.” In a similar address the Southampton owner, Dragan Solak, said he wants the German head coach, who is under investigation from the Football Association, to lead the club into the Premier League next season.
