Southampton caput manager Tonda Eckert has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association for his relation successful the Spygate scandal.
Saints were kicked retired of the Championship play-offs successful May aft admitting they spied connected 3 clubs during the campaign.
An autarkic disciplinary committee ruled astatine the clip that the espionage was authorised by Eckert and was a "contrived and determined program from the apical down".
Since past the nine has been the taxable of an probe by the FA, looking into who participated successful the spying and assessing the culpability of those who knew it was happening.
The FA said Eckert "has been charged with 3 breaches of FA regularisation E3.1 successful narration to misconduct betwixt December 2025 and May 2026".
Southampton bushed Middlesbrough implicit 2 legs successful the play-off semi-final but, aft Saints' expulsion, Boro were reinstated to the last and went connected to suffer to Hull City.
The English Football League (EFL) expelled Southampton from the play-offs aft they admitted watching grooming sessions involving Oxford United and Ipswich Town, successful summation to filming Middlesbrough earlier the semi-final.
The EFL tin lone instrumentality enactment against its subordinate clubs but the FA tin punish individuals and manus retired bans.
The FA said it is "alleged that the caput manager acted successful an improper mode and/or brought the crippled into disrepute by directing and/or authorising the reflection of grooming sessions" of these games.
Eckert has until adjacent Tuesday to respond.
In a statement, Southampton said they and Eckert "acknowledge today's charges from the FA relating to a breach of regularisation E3.1".
The nine added: "Tonda and the nine volition proceed to co-operate afloat and openly with the FA.
"Our absorption remains connected preparations for the 2026-27 Championship season. The nine remains afloat supportive of Tonda and his unit arsenic we enactment towards our ambition of returning to the Premier League.
"We are incapable to remark further portion the process remains ongoing, but we volition supply an update to supporters arsenic soon arsenic we are successful a presumption to bash so."
In June, Southampton proprietor Dragan Solak told BBC Sport helium would not sack Eckert, contempt the "mistake" of the caput coach, and argued the nine had already been punished enough.
Eckert precocious told BBC Radio Solent: "It's pugnacious to work immoderate of the things that are retired there, I've held my manus up for this judgement connected thing I person authorised.
"I americium liable and I apologise for atrocious judgement; we've beryllium successful present for a week and determination comes a constituent to look guardant and from the archetypal time backmost in, there's been tons of smiles and a bully vigor successful the spot again."
Alongside past season's punishment, Southampton volition commencement the caller Championship run with a four-point deduction. The club's opening fixture is distant astatine Watford connected 16 August.
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