Southampton manager Tonda Eckert has accepted responsibility for his role in the club’s spygate scandal. He welcomed the clarity of the FA verdict on Thursday.

Eckert was handed a suspended six-week ban and a 28,000 pound fine. He had admitted authorising the observation of training sessions of three rival Championship clubs.

The FA charged Eckert in July. An independent regulatory commission imposed the sanctions after a hearing. The ban stays suspended until the end of the 2027-28 season.

The clubs spied on were Oxford United, Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough. Southampton were expelled from last season’s Championship playoff final and deducted four points.

Eckert said he had made a mistake and held his hand up. Southampton are 13th in the Championship with 10 points from eight matches. They face Portsmouth on Sunday. The FA said the suspended ban would activate if Eckert breached rules on spying again. The original case surfaced when a Southampton intern was caught filming a Middlesbrough session before a playoff semi-final last year.