‘You legend. Manager loved it!’: Southampton’s spying WhatsApp messages are leaked in arbitration panel’s report after they were thrown out of play-off final – revealing ‘extreme pressure’ put on interns
New developments regarding Southampton’s efforts to orchestrate the ‘Spygate’ scandal can now be revealed through a series of WhatsApp messages involving head coach Tonda Eckert.
Southampton were eliminated from the Championship play-off final just over a week ago and deducted four points from next season after being found guilty of spying on second-tier rivals.
The south coast club pleaded guilty to espionage charges against Oxford United and Ipswich Town during the regular season and then against Middlesbrough ahead of the play-off semi-final.
Daily Mail Sport revealed that a trainee was seen at Middlesbrough’s training ground before the first leg, which ended goalless at the Riverside Stadium. Southampton went on to progress with a 2–1 extra-time win in the second leg but Middlesbrough were later reinstated and lost to Hull in the final.
And junior members of staff told an independent disciplinary commission they were ‘under extreme pressure’ from Eckert to spy on rivals.
In one exchange, a junior trainee received second-hand praise from Eckert for his scouting role at Oxford United training before the clash in December. The intern’s boss told him: ‘You are a legend. ‘The principal loved it.’
Explaining how the whole incident unfolded, the trainee told the independent disciplinary commission: ‘I actually had no choice and was not given the opportunity to say no. ‘I was a trainee and I was doing what I was told.’
Southampton analyst hiding behind a tree to spy on Middlesbrough training
In response to the publication of written reasons, Southampton issued a statement admitting guilt.
“The club acknowledges that some aspects of our initial response to the situation did not receive the level of scrutiny required at the time,” the statement said. ‘Looking back, we wish this had been handled differently from the start, and this represented an error of judgment for which we take responsibility.’
But they added: ‘The club is concerned by the gravity of the allegations that junior staff were pressured to become involved, at a time when some of the most serious allegations are not supported by direct evidence. However, junior employees should never be placed in a position where they feel under pressure and the club accepts responsibility for this failure of leadership and supervision.’
They concluded: ‘Southampton Football Club will now carefully consider the reasons published, review its internal processes and ultimately ensure that its governance, oversight and decision-making procedures are strengthened.
‘Our responsibility now is to accept what happened, embrace the lessons it brings and use this experience to strengthen our judgement, discipline and integrity to move forward together as a club.’
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