By Graham Hiley.
The Football League have released their full judgment on “Spygate” and it makes damning reading for Saints.
The 12-page document details the lengths the club went to in order to observe three of their opponents’ training sessions – an offence which saw them expelled from the Play-Off final.
That still seems an incredibly harsh and draconian penalty which punishes the innocents – the fans and the players – rather than targeting those who were responsible for the acts.
But the verdict does make it clear manager Tonda Eckert not only knew about the spying and not only authorised it – he actually imposed it!
The mission was given to a reluctant intern who expressed reservations about the ethics of the order but was pressured into carrying it out before the games against Oxford and Middlesbrough but declined to spy on Ipswich.
The commission called this approach “deplorable” and highlighted the fact that the junior member of staff was “in a vulnerable position without job security”. The club were reprimanded for putting a junior member of staff in a difficult moral position.
It is to be hoped the luckless Will Salt is getting support after being caught in a scandal not of his making.
Eckert accepted he specifically authorised the observation missions to gain information about Oxford’s likely formation and the fitness of a Boro key player.
The fact that neither mission yielded any significant benefit (or a victory) was not taken into account as a mitigating factor after Saints admitted the three breaches, having initially incorrectly claimed it was not in their culture and that no footage was captured.
The independent panel’s report does say that if Southampton had only committed the offence before league games then a fine and possible points deduction might have sufficed.
The Play-offs are classed as a separate competition and therefore the punishment was expulsion – though there is still no justification given for giving defeated Middlesbrough a bye to the final. You have to feel for their opponents Hull City who should have been promoted instead.
From an initial reading of the report, it would seem clear that Eckert will have to go. It’s possible the only reason he hasn’t already departed is that the FA are now investigating individuals.
If they issue a lengthy ban to the manager (and possibly some of his staff) then Saints would likely avoid shelling out the kind of exorbitant sacking compensation they have already paid out far too often in recent years.
Meanwhile the players will be considering their own futures. They are every bit as angry and as hurt as the fans with Leo Scienza and Taylor Harwood-Bellis among those who have issued dignified but passionate and heartfelt statements sympathising with the supporters.
Collectively they have all been robbed of the chance of a return to the Premier League by the reckless actions of a few individuals who gambled with the future of the club and lost big-time.
The bulk of the squad are likely to leave – and who could blame them? Sales of season tickets could well plummet along with merchandise and all the ancillary income such as The Dell pub and the Fan Zone. Perhaps they could screen the Play-off final there? Nothing would surprise now!
The club have issued a statement to say they are in the process of fully refunding all those who bought Wembley tickets but the volume could mean it takes up to 14 days… though the cash went out of my account almost instantly!
They should also compensate those who attended both semi-finals (now meaningless) and those who bought merchandise for their big day out and booked travel and hotels.
Each refund should be accompanied by a contrite apology detailing who did what and how and who knew what and when. How much further up the chain does it go?
After breaking so many hearts so needlessly and so shamefully, it will be a massive undertaking to win back the fans. That task needs to start today.
Graham Hiley covered Saints for the Southern Daily Echo from 1988 to 2001 and then became the club’s managing editor until 2008. He now teaches Sports Journalism at Southampton Solent University and is a season ticket holder at St Mary’s.
* Picture shows Saints at Wembley.
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