Eckert “accepted that he had specifically authorised the observations”, which had “seriously violated” the integrity of the competition, the panel said when explaining why it had applied such a serious sanction.
In addition to the expulsion and point penalty punishments, a reprimand was also imposed on Southampton.
This was not just because other teams had been spied on, but “because of the way in which junior members of staff were put under pressure to carry out activities which they felt were morally wrong”, the panel stated.
The whole matter only arose after a junior member of staff was spotted secretly watching Middlesbrough at their training ground.
In the club’s initial response to the EFL, Southampton said the conduct was not part of the culture at St Mary’s and that no video was captured, transmitted, shared or analysed. Southampton subsequently acknowledged this was inaccurate, said the panel, which stated the reality was that “the opposite was the case”.