Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert is nervously awaiting the sanctions of the Football Association's inquiry into last season's 'spygate' scandal.
The German came under heavy scrutiny for authorising a junior staff member to spy on numerous opposing teams during the 2025/26 campaign, including play-off semi-final rivals Middlesbrough.
The Saints overcame Boro over the two-legs but were then expelled from the competition after being found guilty of breaking strict EFL rules, with Kim Hellberg's side instead going on to face newly-promoted Hull City in the Wembley showpiece.
The Football League's decision to remove the south coast club from the play-offs also saw them incur a four point deduction for the current campaign.
However, their punishment isn't set to end there with the FA conducting their own investigation of their own, with Eckert potentially set to be handed a lengthy ban.
When will Southampton boss Tonda Eckert find out his punishment for the 'spygate' scandal?
Whilst Southampton have already been sanctioned by the EFL, Eckert is set to be handed his own punishment following an FA inquiry with the result of last week's hearing expected to be made over the coming days.
The 33-year-old has remained at the St Mary's helm this term after being publicly backed by the Championship club's chairman Dragan Solak in the summer following the club's own internal inquest.
However, his position appears to still be under threat; so much so that the Saints have reportedly already drawn up a list of potential candidates to take over should their head coach be hit hard.
It's believed the FA have found him guilty of three breaches of their rule E3.1, which is in relation to misconduct between December 2025 and May 2026 -- charges that could land him a severe fine or even a suspension of up to 12 months.
It was previously claimed that an official announcement regarding his punishment would be made during the current international window ahead of the Championship club's next league fixture against rivals Portsmouth next Sunday (11th October).
