Henry Winter (amongst others in the media) now putting pressure on the FA... Quelle surprise....
https://henrywinterfootball.substack.com/p/eckert-spygate-and-a-test-of-the
Eckert, Spygate and a test of the FA authority
The Tonda Eckert case represents a major challenge to the FA’s authority, almost an existential one. Its deliberations on Eckert’s cheating comes at a time when the all-powerful, wealthy Premier League effectively runs the game and an Independent Football Regulator arrives to encourage some accountability and sustainability which should be the FA’s preserve as custodians. The FA’s response to Eckert comes at a time when the EFL earns widespread praise for its strong stance on Spygate, and when everyone in the country has an online platform to acclaim or blame. This case is not simply about Eckert’s credibility but also, to an extent, about the FA’s. No pressure.
Those deployed by the FA to examine Eckert’s conduct and decide the appropriate punishment will not consider the wider ramifications, of course. They have to focus on Eckert’s offences, the extent of his contrition and today’s attempt at mitigation, and the culpability or otherwise of others at Southampton. But it is impossible not to see this case through a wider prism. Is the FA actually still in charge of the game? How seriously does it take challenges to the very fabric of the sport it first began overseeing in 1863. Is it fit for purpose? Is anything less than a 10-game ban (minimum) sufficient? How much does it want to clamp down on cheating when it’s rife when the first whistle blows anyway?
Eckert is a promising 33-year-old head coach who currently has the full backing of Southampton’s board as expressed defiantly by the club’s owner, Dragan Solak, in his statement today. Whether the club’s position changes if Eckert receives a lengthy ban remains to be seen. How long do you hold on for your leader? 10 games, 20? What Southampton haven’t factored in in their support for Eckert is that the punishment doesn’t end when any ban ends. Unless there is a full mea culpa, and a long ban, opposing clubs will still view Southampton in a critical light. Every Southampton game will be awash with “cheat” chants from rival fans and, doubtless, verbal retaliation from Saints supporters. Southampton have hitherto had a good reputation within the game for community, atmosphere, player development, style of football and doing things the right way. That’s been lost amidst Spygate.
Eckert has apologised to the other clubs affected by Spygate, Oxford United, Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough, but mainly focused his contrition towards Southampton’s players and fans. His statement seemed as much for internal consumption, within Southampton and its fanbase, rather than for national tastes. It was more about “me”, when it should be about “mea culpa” to the sport.
It cannot be a defence that spying is accepted elsewhere. “When I worked in Italy for over four years (at Genoa as assistant) every starting line-up that we’ve chosen for the games was always out in the media before games…” Eckert said in his statement to Southampton fans via the club’s website. “…and the reason is that our training sessions, especially the ones before games, have always been observed from the media and have always been observed from opponent teams that we came up against.” And he kept digging.
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