Simon Jordan gives new verdict on Tonda Eckert ban as Southampton await outcome

Simon Jordan believes Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert should avoid a suspension when the Football Association decides whether to take further action over the Spygate affair.

Southampton have made a respectable start to their Championship campaign, but the club are once again facing attention away from the pitch as Eckert waits to discover whether he will receive an individual punishment for his role in last season’s controversy.

Eckert took charge of the Saints in November after replacing Will Still and guided the club to fourth place in the Championship. Southampton subsequently reached the play-off final after overcoming Middlesbrough 2-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals.

Their Wembley appearance was ultimately taken away, however, after Southampton were found to have gathered information on Middlesbrough before the opening leg at the Riverside Stadium. The club later acknowledged that training sessions involving Oxford United and Ipswich Town had also been observed during the campaign.

Southampton were subsequently handed a four-point deduction for the new season, while Eckert was separately charged with misconduct by the FA in July.

A hearing is expected to take place this week, with the outcome set to determine whether the Southampton boss receives any additional punishment.

Jordan, however, believes another sanction would be excessive given the penalties already imposed on the club.

Eckert has previously acknowledged the seriousness of the situation, saying he had apologised publicly and asked for forgiveness. He also described the punishment already imposed on Southampton as extremely difficult for the club.

The 33-year-old now faces an anxious wait to discover whether the FA will impose a further sanction.

Southampton’s recent unbeaten run was brought to an end on Saturday when they suffered a 2-1 defeat away to Wrexham. The result leaves them 13th in the Championship, although they remain just three points outside the play-off places and five points behind second-placed West Ham United.

With the international break providing some breathing room, attention at St Mary’s will now turn towards the FA hearing and Eckert’s potential punishment.

Simon Jordan accepts that Tonda Eckert is likely to receive some form of punishment from the Football Association, but he does not believe the Southampton head coach should be suspended over the Spygate controversy.

Speaking on talkSPORT, Jordan separated the situation involving Southampton as a club from any potential disciplinary action against Eckert personally.

He acknowledged that Eckert has apologised, although he questioned whether the German initially believed he had actually breached any rules.

Jordan suggested that Eckert may not have understood the seriousness of the regulations surrounding the incident at the time and argued that Southampton have already faced a severe punishment for what happened.

The club were expelled from the Championship play-off final and subsequently received a points deduction, with Jordan arguing that the punishment has already had a significant impact on Southampton.

He also pointed to the Saints’ performances this season as evidence that Eckert has demonstrated his managerial ability without relying on the type of information-gathering that caused the controversy.

“They’ve got a clearly capable manager here,” Jordan said.

The talkSPORT pundit believes the FA’s decision should take into account the sanctions already imposed on Southampton.

Jordan argued that if the club have dealt with the matter internally, there may be little justification for the governing body to remove Eckert from the game for a lengthy period.

In his view, any further action against Eckert should be limited rather than resulting in a significant suspension.

Jordan said: “My view is that they’ll have to sanction him to some extent, but I don’t think it should extend to him being taken out of the game.”

He also maintained that Southampton have already been punished heavily and questioned whether imposing another major sanction on Eckert would amount to punishing the club twice.

Jordan added that he believes Southampton were treated particularly harshly over the original incident and hopes the FA does not impose a lengthy ban on their manager.

The final decision will now rest with the FA following Eckert’s misconduct charge and the upcoming disciplinary process.