Article #31941

• Commission gives reasons behind playoff expulsion

• Tonda Eckert ‘specifically authorised’ spying on rivals

The independent disciplinary commission investigating the spygate affair found that Southampton had formed a “contrived and determined plan from the top down” to obtain illicit information for sporting advantage, as they explained their decision to kick the club out of the Championship playoffs.

In a strongly worded assessment of the disciplinary process, the commission also revealed that Southampton had initially denied filming Middlesbrough in training before their playoff semi-final, before ultimately accepting the charges, and that the Saints manager, Tonda Eckert, had “specifically authorised” the spying on three occasions during the season.