The scandal is likely to continue into the summer with lawsuits and appeals the next steps in the Spygate affair.
The EFL has thrown the book at Southampton over Spygate but the fallout from the cheating scandal does not appear to be over just yet.
On Tuesday, an Independent Disciplinary Commission expelled Southampton from the play-offs following the club’s admission that it had spied on and filmed three Championship rivals – Oxford in December, Ipswich in April, and the incident that opened the can of worms, Middlesbrough in May.
Additionally, Southampton will start next season with a four-point deduction, making it one of the most severe punishments in EFL history and an incredibly embarrassing moment in the history of the St Mary’s club.
The embarrassment, though, may not be over there as there are still many questions to be answered.
Will Southampton appeal and what will come of it?
While the club has not said anything since the news broke, reports suggest they will appeal the verdict on Wednesday and argue the punishment is disproportionate.
But from the outside, it seems more like an appeal of hope than expectation.
Southampton have admitted to three cases of cheating and rule-breaking so it is hard to see what argument they could make that would see them reinstated into the play-offs.
The points deduction may well be reduced or even removed but even that seems hopeful.
The EFL has said it would be “working to try and resolve any appeal on Wednesday 20 May” given there is supposed to be a final played on Saturday, so this particular question should be answered fairly soon.
What next for Southampton?
Presuming Southampton’s appeal is dismissed, there is the question of what comes next for Southampton.
The short answer is Championship football; the long answer could be this rumbles on all summer.
According to The Athletic, the Southampton players are exploring legal options against their own club which would be based around loss of earnings.
Some players took a 40 per cent pay cut following relegation from the Premier League and would argue the club has denied them a chance to secure that back.
It seems flimsy but the squad is due to meet with the club and have contacted the Professional Footballers’ Association for advice.
On a more likely note, it is hard to see how any of their players would want to stay next season if that trust has been broken and Eckert remains in post.
What of Tonda Eckert?
One of the big questions yet to be answered is what happens to Tonda Eckert?
A month ago, he was being praised as one of the best managers in the league and at 33 years of age, looked to have a long future in the game, but all of that is now in question.
Eckert’s defence is reportedly that the practice is common in Europe and he was unaware it was a rule in England, which is very flimsy. For a start, he was an assistant at Barnsley in August 2020, less than a year after Leeds’ own Spygate.
Secondly, does he honestly expect anyone to believe that no one in the club took him aside to say this was against the rules?
It seems likely that Eckert is sacked by Southampton for reputational damage alone but the FA could make his position entirely untenable.
What could the Football Association do?
So far, it has been the EFL and its Independent Disciplinary Commission that has been dealing with this but the Football Association could now get involved.
Some reports and speculation suggest that Eckert could be handed a lengthy ban from the FA for cheating which would end his Southampton career and possibly his entire future in England at least.
The FA has so far kept quiet as it waits for the EFL’s process and the appeal to come to a conclusion.
What about other clubs?
It is not just Middlesbrough and Southampton who have been caught up in this.
The party that can feel most aggrieved is Hull, who now have four days to prepare for a different opponent to the one they had expected to be facing this weekend.
Sky Sports suggests that Hull are ‘disappointed’ about the decision to change opponents at such short notice.
Wrexham, meanwhile, could be an interesting one to watch as the team that finished one spot outside of the play-offs. According to Sky Sports, the Welsh club are ‘monitoring the situation’ and waiting until after the appeal before making any possible moves.
In the meantime, their player Josh Windass suggested the whole play-off process should be restarted.
He posted on social media: ‘This Southampton story is one of the maddest I’ve seen. But why isn’t the play-off starting again with the 4 other teams? Boro v Hull would have been the Semi!! Confused.’
You can call it a coincidence or convenience but it should be noted that two of three spying incidents that Southampton admitted to came with clubs that will not be in the Championship next season. If either Ipswich or Oxford had missed out on promotion or survival due to the Southampton result, they may have tried to sue the St Mary’s club for loss of earnings.
What is the likely outcome?
The most likely outcome appears to be that Southampton’s appeal is dismissed, Eckert and his staff are sacked and Southampton spend the summer trying to rebuild their reputation.
It is hard to see how a lawsuit from the players would yield anything given Southampton were not actually promoted and still had to face Hull so that will likely amount to nothing.
It also seems likely that Eckert will be given a ban from coaching from the FA which may be adopted by other countries’ FAs.
The play-off final will likely go ahead this weekend given the busy nature of Wembley at this time of year and the World Cup. It is also hard to see how Wrexham have any real ground to be put into the play-offs.
All in all, there is one big loser in this: Southampton. Exactly how much they lose will be decided over the coming weeks and months.
