Southampton owner Dragan Solak has confirmed he will not sack head coach Tonda Eckert despite authorising a spying campaign against Middlesbrough.
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In an interview with BBC Sport, Solak said: “I think he deserves a second chance and I would give it to him.
“My full support would be behind him actually, because I think he’s a super-talented manager.”
Southampton were expelled from the Championship play-off final after being found guilty of spying by the EFL’s independent disciplinary commission.
Besides losing the opportunity to compete for Premier League promotion, the Hampshire club were also handed a four-point deduction for next season.
Eckert admitted to authorising a spying campaign against rival Championship clubs.
The EFL commission reinstated Middlesbrough into the final at Wembley, despite the 2-1 aggregate defeat in the semi-final tie.
Boro lost the final to Hull City after an injury-time winner from Oli McBurnie.
Eckert is set to keep his job at Southampton after owner Solak said he will not be sacked.
The German took over as the Saints’ permanent coach in December after a brief spell as caretaker boss.
The team was battling relegation at the time of his appointment, but he led them to an impressive run of results and ultimately secured a play-off spot.
But all the good work went in vain as they were expelled from the play-off final over Spygate, which cost them a shot at promotion – a prize worth over £200million.