Southampton owner will not sack head coach Eckert

Southampton proprietor Dragan Solak says helium volition not sack Tonda Eckert, contempt the "mistake" the caput manager made erstwhile authorising a spying run against rival Championship clubs.

"I deliberation helium deserves a 2nd accidental and I would springiness it to him," the Serb businessman told BBC Sport successful an exclusive interview.

"My afloat enactment would beryllium down him actually, due to the fact that I deliberation he's a super-talented manager."

After a abbreviated spell arsenic caretaker boss, Eckert was appointed connected a imperishable basis successful December to pb a Southampton broadside who were progressive successful a relegation fight. He guided them not lone to information but to the Championship promotion play-offs aft a fourth-place finish.

However, Saints were expelled from the play-offs aft admitting observing opponents' grooming sessions, and they person been deducted 4 points for the 2026-27 season.

An autarkic disciplinary committee said that Eckert, the club's 33-year-old German boss, accepted helium had orchestrated what it called a "contrived and determined program from the apical down".

On Monday, it was revealed that a inferior subordinate of unit claimed that Eckert's proposals had placed them "under utmost pressure" to transportation retired a task they were uncomfortable with and felt was morally wrong.

Details emerged aft the publication of the written reasons of an arbitration sheet appointed to perceive Southampton's entreaty against their punishment. Eckert was said to beryllium "surprised" to larn that EFL regulations prohibited the practice.

"I judge Tonda that helium didn't cognize that it was the regularisation that helium was breaking," said Solak, whose media institution acquired a bulk involvement of the nine successful 2022.

"My idiosyncratic opinion, and the sentiment of the board, is that helium is simply a manager who deserves to beryllium backed by america and to beryllium supported by us. I volition evidently question proposal from the team. I volition question proposal from the players, from the fans. But yes, if it's yet my decision, helium stays."

Speaking from Slovenia, Solak added: "In Italy oregon successful Germany, wherever Tonda was working, this is fundamentally communal signifier that cipher cares about."

However, Solak said helium besides issued Eckert with a warning. "I told him: 'You astir broke my heart. You bash it again, you'll termination me. The adjacent clip I spot you successful July, if you don't cognize the EFL publication of rules by heart, you can't enactment for me. Because, we can't person different mistake.'

"I genuinely anticipation that helium volition larn from this acquisition and helium volition execute an unthinkable career."

Southampton admitted to charges of spying connected Oxford United and Ipswich Town successful the regular season, and past Middlesbrough earlier the play-off semi-final. The Football Association is investigating the ungraded and could yet determine to complaint Eckert.

When asked what helium would bash if Eckert was yet banned by the governing body, Solak said: "I tin enactment him adjacent if he's banned, but I can't marque him negociate if he's banned. My enactment comes from a precise elemental ineligible concern wherever determination is nary treble jeopardy.

"Whatever transgression you did, you tin beryllium sentenced lone once. I deliberation we were 'over-sentenced'. The punishment that the nine received was terrible and wholly disproportionate to the mistake that we made. We mislaid our accidental to triumph £200m.

"But if they're going to spell again and past treble that with [a] ban, we mightiness appeal. But helium volition person my enactment done the process. But if he's banned, he's banned. I mean, I can't enactment idiosyncratic to negociate the nine if helium is not allowed.

"I'm looking astatine him arsenic a young, highly talented manager - the feline who took our nine erstwhile we were 21st successful the array and brought america astir to nonstop promotion. I americium amazed that Tonda is consenting to travel backmost successful this hostile situation aft the witch hunt helium had successful the media.

"I'm beauteous definite if the FA decides to prohibition him, helium volition get a triple better-paid occupation successful Italy oregon Germany."

When asked if it was just to telephone it conscionable "a mistake" when, nether Eckert, Southampton had spied connected 3 rivals, Solak said, "It was 3 times retired of 46 games. If helium would bash it connected an concern level, helium would bash it connected each game. Right?"

In a wide-ranging interview, Solak insisted helium had been unaware of the spying plot, revealing helium lone recovered retired astir it erstwhile the quality broke past period connected societal media.

"I really learned from X. I sent a message: 'What the hellhole is this?'

"Even radical I talked to astatine the highest level of the nine didn't person a hint what was going on. They truly thought it was a joke."

Describing the punishment Southampton received arsenic "ridiculous", Solak tried to downplay the seriousness of the club's cheating.

"Yes, we tried to get an accusation that was not legally allowed," helium said. "OK, what you bash with this accusation and however you usage it connected the pitch, is simply a antithetic thing. And what is the nonstop power of this accusation connected the pitch?

"On the different side, we tin spot connected astir each game, players diving, trying to fundamentally get a punishment oregon get a reddish card. That is not fair. And it's precise elemental to telephone this cheating due to the fact that they cognize what they're doing, it's much, overmuch much nonstop power connected the crippled and the effect than immoderate we did.

"I'm not saying that what we did is right. I hold with the league that they privation to halt it erstwhile for all. I conscionable deliberation that they are not treating each offence equally."

Asked however helium felt astir the nine staff, different than Eckert, who were alert of the spying, Solak said, "This full happening was happening wrong the situation of our analysts.

"I deliberation we person a mates of guys that are overseas analysts, truthful for them you could accidental astir apt that they didn't person a hint that this was against the rules.

"And past we person astir apt 5 oregon six British analysts. How travel they either didn't cognize oregon they didn't tell? I don't know. But this is thing that volition beryllium further soul-searching for us... I americium decidedly precise focused that we travel to the knowing of this due to the fact that this is the lone mode it volition ne'er hap again."

The EFL's committee said it was "deplorable" of the nine to person utilized inferior unit members to "conduct the clandestine observations".

Solak admitted that specified a civilization was "unacceptable", but helium blamed "a immense magnitude of misunderstanding, ignorance and arrogance, we person dysfunctions successful the club, but we volition really marque an effort for radical to recognize that whoever orders them to bash something, that is putting them retired of their comfortableness zone, they person each close to refuse".

When asked astir the expert intern who had been sent to spy connected absorption grooming sessions, and who had been caught doing truthful astatine Middlesbrough, Solak said: "I don't spot truly this civilization erstwhile idiosyncratic is truly making inferior unit bash thing they don't want.

"I judge that our inferior intern felt personally it's wrong, and helium didn't consciousness close for doing this, and I deliberation helium should person expressed that stronger. I'm beauteous definite that if [he had] travel to us, the apical management, really it would beryllium the seniors who would beryllium punished, not him.

"I person a batch of pity. I'm atrocious for what helium had to spell through. And we evidently would similar him to enactment successful the nine and we offered him a prolonged occupation with the club."

It has been reported that immoderate of Southampton's players privation to permission and whitethorn adjacent see taking ineligible enactment against the nine implicit mislaid promotion bonuses. The squad bushed Middlesbrough implicit 2 legs to scope the play-off final, earlier they were ejected from the competition.

Solak said: "Honestly, it's connected them to decide. I had a precise unfastened speech with them, and they were really precise nice. And you could spot that they are hurting. But done that, they inactive behaved arsenic gentlemen. You spell done things, but beingness is fair.

"If you are a subordinate of Southampton that truly has prime to play successful Premier League, I'm beauteous definite you'll play successful Premier League this play oregon the next."

The EFL Arbitration Panel condemned the "mystery" of Southampton initially providing misleading accusation astir the spying ngo to Middlesbrough.

At archetypal the nine denied that immoderate video was captured oregon analysed, earlier acknowledging that was not the case.

When asked wherefore the nine had failed to springiness an close mentation of events, Solak said: "We were requested by the EFL to respond successful 12 hours, up of a immense crippled wherever everybody's travelling.

"So the radical who made the effect had a constricted clip to effort to get the truth. And that's wherefore I deliberation their effect was imperfect. During the process later, we perfectly delivered everything we know."

Solak besides pointed to the ineligible proposal the nine had sought, saying: "When we were preparing for this full process with the EFL, we hired shot adept lawyers, they hired a transgression prosecution adept lawyer. So I would accidental we person been a spot naive successful the full thing. But since we made a mistake, I'm not going to warrant anything."

He added: "I'm wholly devastated. As a club, we request to apologise to our fans. They gave everything to us. And I'm definite we gave them a batch of large moments, but astatine the extremity we gave them this immense disappointment. So I truly consciousness atrocious for them. I consciousness atrocious for the full club, you know, due to the fact that fewer radical made a mistake, but the full nine suffers.

"But each I tin archer them is that my dedication to the nine is not wavering astatine all. I deliberation that retired of each of this, we volition go stronger."