Southampton group technical director Johannes Spors says the Spygate scandal put him in a “difficult position” over the summer as the club were preparing for the new season.

In May, Saints were kicked out of the play-offs and deducted four points for admitting they spied on three clubs during the Championship season.

The future of head coach Tonda Eckert was then put into question as a Football Association (FA) investigation took place that could have seen the German coach handed a ban that might have cost him his job.

As the season commenced, the club and their supporters did not know if Eckert would be handed a personal sanction for his role in the scandal, but in early October those fears were put to rest when the FA announced he would be fined £28,000 and that a six-week ban would be suspended until the end of next season.

Saints could have sacked Eckert after he admitted to his mistakes in May, but decided to stick with their man as owner Dragan Solak and the rest of the board gave him a second chance.

“Of course, it did put me into a difficult position,” Spors told BBC Radio Solent.

“It was something that probably no-one, or at least not many sporting directors have experienced, planning into a season and a squad with that level of uncertainty.

“I only felt one choice and I’m happy that everybody around me, including Dragan Solak, was very aligned.

“We decided to go this route (backing Eckert) and take it with all consequences and I’m happy we’ve done that.”



–