'Harshest punishment ever seen in sports' - Southampton's Tonda Eckert could get 'one-year' ban
Southampton manager Tonda Eckert could potentially face a suspended one-year ban from English football after the FA charged him with misconduct.
That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the Saints boss has already been punished enough by his team's expulsion from last season's Championship play-offs.
The South Coast outfit were caught spying on their play-off opponents Middlesbrough, and were also found guilty of two more breaches across the season.
Wyness believes that the German boss has already "suffered enough" by the loss of a potential promotion boss, plus the major hit that his reputation has taken.
However, the FA's charges could yet lead to a ban, leaving both him and the club in a difficult position.
Wyness has urged the governing body to lean towards a "suspended sentence" for the 33-year-old, such is the impact that their expulsion decision has made in recent months.
Keith Wyness explains FA's 'most lenient' route
Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that the best-case scenario for Southampton is if Eckert gets a suspended one-year ban.
The Scottish businessman is adamant that the ban would never be triggered in that scenario, as he and his staff will undoubtedly never spy on other teams again.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, Wyness explained why that is likely to be the "most lenient" verdict that the FA could reach.
"The biggest issue here, from my point of view, is the penalty already levied on Southampton, which to me was still the harshest penalty I think I've ever seen in sports, to be honest," he said.
"I think it was way disproportionate and, from what I understand, it's not what the EFL thought would happen from the tribunal. Now, that's got to be taken into account in terms of mitigation, in terms of the club and its employees already having suffered.
"That manager didn't get his chance for promotion bonuses, et cetera. So he's already suffered in many ways, plus the whole PR and media aspect and his reputation being tarnished.
"Now, if they were to be on the most lenient level of this, they could suspend a suspension, so they could give him a one-year suspended sentence.
"It would be invoked only if there's some other occurrence of spying in the next season, which you can bet you can be pretty sure there won't be. I would hope that the mitigation of already having had such a severe penalty means that they go towards a suspended sentence."
Ex-PGMOL chief predicts instant ban for Tonda Eckert
Former FIFA and ex-PGMOL chief Keith Hackett told Football Insider on Monday that the "likely ban" Eckert will face is "six games."
The former official believes that the FA will opt for an instantaneous suspension, rather than a delayed one on the ground of improved behaviour.
That would potentially see the boss out of action for the opening month of the Championship season, leaving his coaching staff in charge of matchday duties.
Southampton's campaign begins with the Carabao Cup clash against Colchester United on 8 August, and they will hope to learn Eckert's fate before then.