Tonda Eckert was assistant coach of RB Leipzig Under-19s when Spygate 1 engulfed English football in January, 2019. Would a young coach in Germany have been aware of such a huge story dominating English football at the time? Marcelo Bielsa, revered amongst coaches, filled many headlines.
In its Spygate 2 coverage,
@TeleFootball is currently reporting that Eckert claims he didn’t think he was breaking EFL rules as spying was commonplace on the Continent. Spygate 1 was massive. Bielsa famously delivered a 70-minute PowerPoint presentation to the media about preparing for games. Aspiring coaches might be tempted to tune in.
Eckert’s club, Southampton, are appealing the Spygate 2 verdict and punishment on Wednesday. Interesting to see how that goes on Wednesday given they’ve admitted breaches, and the punishments are in the EFL rule-book. Also interesting to see whether FA brings charges against individuals. The EFL has shown strong governance. Will the FA follow suit?
Impossible to believe the young analyst intern was acting on his own initiative, especially if he was live-streaming back. Unfair if he’s hung out to dry.
Eckert joined Southampton in November, 2025. Club admitted to spying breaches concerning “fixtures against Oxford United in December 2025, Ipswich Town in April 2026 and Middlesbrough in May 2026”, according to EFL. Eckert obviously has questions to answer to the club – and, probably, to the FA.