Spygate latest as West Brom Championship rivals break silence over manager's future

The play-off final may have been and gone and the Spygate scandal dealt with - but the fall out and controversy from it is continuing.

The spying tales that cost Southampton a place in the final and a four point deduction have been well publicised - with Middlesbrough going on to be reinstated into the final.

In the end, it was Hull City who went back up to the Premier League but almost two weeks on the controversy is continuing.

On Monday, details emerged from an arbitration panel hearing that heard how a junior member of Southampton staff had been placed under pressure to carry out spying missions on opposition training.

The panel also found the whole scandal was a contrived and determined plan from the top down.

There have been growing calls Saints boss Tonda Eckert to be sacked amid the falling out from Spygate - but in a sensational interview, owner Dragan Solak has said he will not sack the coach, who deserves another chance.

He told the BBC: “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.

"I believe Tonda that he didn't know that it was the rule that he was breaking

"My personal opinion, and the opinion of the board, is that he is a manager who deserves to be backed by us and to be supported by us. I will obviously seek advice from the team. I will seek advice from the players, from the fans. But yes, if it's ultimately my decision, he stays.

"In Italy or in Germany, where Tonda was working, this is basically common practice that nobody cares about."

However, he has issued the German with a warning, stating: "I told him: 'You almost broke my heart. You do it again, you'll kill me. The next time I see you in July, if you don't know the EFL book of rules by heart, you can't work for me. Because, we can't have another mistake.'

"I truly hope that he will learn from this experience and he will achieve an incredible career."

Eckert could still face an FA ban from the touchline, with the association still investigating the scandal.

Asked about the possibility of a ban, the Saints owner said: "I'm pretty sure if the FA decides to ban him, he will get a triple better-paid job in Italy or Germany."