Tonda Eckert, the 33-year-old German head coach of Southampton, has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association for his role in the "spygate scandal." The FA alleges that Eckert authorized the observation of training sessions of three rivals—Oxford United, Ipswich Town, and Middlesbrough—during the previous season.
The spying allegations led to Southampton being kicked out of the Championship playoff final. Eckert is currently facing three counts of misconduct and could be hit with a one-year ban.
Eckert has accepted full responsibility for orchestrating the scandal and sending club staff to observe the opponents' training sessions. Southampton released a statement acknowledging the charge, stating that both the head coach and the club will continue to cooperate fully and openly with the FA. Eckert has until July 28 to provide his responses.