Tonda Eckert has revealed that the scandal that cost Southampton their promotion has followed him home. The Southampton head coach told German outlet Kicker on Saturday that the fallout from Spygate reached a point where police had to get involved in his personal safety.
The Southampton head coach revealed he was advised to stop driving himself and sit in the back seat of the car instead. It's the first time Eckert has spoken publicly about what the scandal has cost him outside of football.
The FA formally charged Eckert with three breaches of Rule E3.1 back in July; that case is still open as he heads into pre-season with no verdict yet in sight.
Tonda Eckert Opens Up On Police Protection After Spygate
Asked directly whether he received death threats, Eckert said: "It could no longer be handled without the police," he told Kicker, confirming for the first time in his own words that the threats crossed into territory requiring direct police involvement.
He described being advised to stop driving himself and instead sit in the back of the car, a change he called genuinely difficult to accept. The 33-year-old said nothing in his coaching career had prepared him for this sort of situation.
His academic education and coaching qualifications taught him how to manage football, not how to deal with threats away from the game. He didn't go into further detail about the nature or source of the threats.
Southampton hasn't issued a separate statement addressing his comments as of Saturday.
Eckert had already told Sky Sports News in June that he'd moved his family back to Germany during the worst of it and that he had remained in direct contact with police.
Tonda Eckert's FA Charge Over Spygate Remains Unresolved
The FA charged Eckert last month over his role in directing staff to observe training sessions belonging to Oxford United, Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough, across three separate dates between December 2025 and May 2026.
Southampton admitted all three breaches and was docked four points for the 2026-27 season. Eckert's own disciplinary case has yet to be decided, with a football ban still a possibility. Owner Dragan Solak has publicly backed Eckert through the process.
He told BBC Sport in June that he believed the German didn't realise he was breaking a rule when he authorised the sessions. That backing hasn't shielded Eckert from the threats he described on Saturday.
The Club's support and his personal safety, it turns out, are two separate problems entirely.
What Happens Next For Southampton And Tonda Eckert?
The Saints' transfer business has continued regardless. Cyle Larin and Daniel Peretz have both signed permanently after loan spells last season, and the club has also brought in Lewis Dobbin from Aston Villa and free agent goalkeeper George Long from Norwich City.
Southampton open their Championship campaign away at Watford on August 16th, with the transfer window closing on September 1st for any further additions.
Eckert remains in position for now, and nothing in Saturday's interview suggested that's about to change. He will be preparing a squad that will start next season four points behind where they'd otherwise be.
Whether he's still in charge when the FA's verdict lands is a separate question entirely from whether he's safe in the meantime.
