Further details of Southampton’s Spygate scandal have been revealed in the EFL’s written reasons for their punishment.The Championship side were expelled from the play-offs after admitting to spying on three other clubs’ training sessions.Eckert was described as ‘loving it’ after Saints spied on opposition training, WhatsApp messages have revealedGettySaints were also deducted four points from the start of the 2026/27 season by the EFL’s independent disciplinary commission.It came after an analyst was caught filming Middlesbrough’s training ahead of their play-off semi-final first leg.Boro were subsequently reinstated into the play-offs as a result, before losing last month’s final to Hull City at Wembley Stadium.Southampton also admitted to spying on Oxford United and Ipswich Town during the regular season.Saints’ WhatsApp messagesWhatsApp messages have now emerged following the independent disciplinary commission’s investigation.Meanwhile, junior members of staff also told the panel how Saints manager Tonda Eckert had encouraged the spying.The first-team boss is said to have put them ‘under extreme pressure’ to carry out the missions despite them feeling it was morally wrong.A junior analyst sent to observe Oxford’s training ahead of the two sides’ meeting in December had expressed their concerns.In a message sent to colleagues, they said: “I didn’t really have an option and wasn’t provided an opportunity to say no. I was an intern and was doing what I was told.”After sending the details back to their boss, they received a message back reading: “You legend. Manager loved it.”Further details of Southampton’s Spygate scandal have been revealed by the EFL’s written reasonsGettyHowever, when asked to do the same prior to Saints’ home clash with Ipswich in April, they expressed their concerns over the spying.They were subsequently told: “The boss is adamant someone needs to go.”Once the club were caught spying on Boro during the play-offs, another analyst sent a message to a colleague admitting: “I said all along I was never happy about it all and it wasn’t right but no one listened to me.”Meanwhile, the intern who had been caught spying at Boro’s training ground discovered the club had been accused whilst they were on a train back to Southampton.Saints staff then attempted to delete images of them from the internet.The FA have since launched an investigation into Southampton’s conduct, with Eckert at risk of receiving a ban.Eckert is said to have put junior members of staff ‘under extreme pressure’ to spyShutterstock EditorialHe also faces being sacked by the club, talkSPORT understands.Southampton statementHaving lost their appeal against the commission’s decision, Saints have released a statement following the release of the written reasons – hinting at possible bias.Their statement read: “Southampton Football Club notes today’s publication by the Arbitration Panel of the written reasons behind our unsuccessful appeal of the sanctions the Disciplinary Panel previously imposed on us in the EFL proceedings.“We accept that the club breached the relevant regulations, and we recognise that the disciplinary bodies were entitled to conclude that proof of sporting advantage was not necessary in order to establish a serious offence.“The club accepts that aspects of our initial response to the situation were not treated with the level of scrutiny they required at the time.“In hindsight, we wish this had been managed differently from the outset and this represented an error of judgement for which we take responsibility.Saints were expelled from the play-offs and deducted four points last monthAlamy“Despite this, we are happy with the way in which we admitted the charges and offered our full cooperation and honesty once the formal EFL investigation process had started.“We also note that the club was judged against the very highest standards of integrity and good faith. That is entirely proper.“What is harder to accept is that similar scrutiny does not appear to have been applied to the composition of the disciplinary panel itself, given the apparent historic and indirect connections of two panel members to Middlesbrough.“While those connections do not by themselves prove bias, they plainly raise legitimate questions about consistency, perception and the standards of independence expected in proceedings of this magnitude.“The club is also concerned by the weight placed on assertions that junior staff were pressurised into involvement, when some of the most serious allegations appear not to have been supported by direct evidence.“That said, junior employees should never have been placed in a position where they felt under pressure, and the club accepts responsibility for that failure of leadership and oversight.Southampton will be starting the season bottom of the table“This case has ultimately been decided on the basis that breach and attempted breach were enough, regardless of whether any sporting benefit was actually obtained.“In fact, at no stage was there any finding that the club actually obtained any sporting advantage as a result of the conduct in question.“That is a severe interpretation, but one the disciplinary authorities were entitled to adopt under the rules as written.“Southampton Football Club will now reflect carefully on the published reasons, review its internal processes and ensure that governance, oversight and decision-making procedures are strengthened as a result.“Our responsibility now is to acknowledge what has happened, take ownership of the lessons it brings, and use this experience to strengthen our judgement, discipline, and integrity moving forward together as a club.”