Before Southampton played Middlesbrough in the Championship play-off semi-final in May 2026, analyst William Salt, spied on Middlesbrough’s training ground and was caught on camera in the act.
He was allegedly filming the training session on his phone and using headphones and the Saints were expelled from the Championship play-offs and given a four-point deduction for the 2026–27 season.
Eckert admitted authorising observations and is set to be punished over the coming month in a punishment which certainly won’t be light.
Speaking on the scandal, he says the club must try to move on as he faces a major punishment before the club’s next game against Portsmouth next month.
"Because the reality is it's a new season. We have big ambitions as a football club, and in order to reach them, we need to move on."
When asked whether he feels the club has been punished enough, and if a suspension for him would be too harsh, he said:
"It's been a big, big punishment. Absolutely unheard of in the history of sports.
"And it's tough for me to say that because it concerns me. I'm judging on myself, not an outside situation. But I've asked for forgiveness for what I've done. I've apologised publicly.
"I think the punishment has been very hard on the club for the last season. And to go into a new season on minus four. And the rest is not for me to decide."
Despite their punishment, Southampton sit 13th in the Championship table, ahead of the likes of Wrexham and Sheffield United. Eckert will learn his punishment soon enough as he expects the book to be thrown at him.