Southampton owners express their strong support for manager Eckert to remain in his position.

Despite Southampton Football Club being disqualified from last month's Championship play-off final due to its involvement in the "spygate" scandal, club owner Dragan Solak made it clear on Tuesday that he would not sack manager Tonda Eckert.

Southampton had previously admitted to observing their opponents' training in the 72 hours leading up to the match, and the independent disciplinary committee confirmed that Ekert had approved the plan. Disqualification would be a heavy blow to the club, as the winner of the final would be promoted to the Premier League and receive a huge sum of money.

In an interview with the BBC, Solak said: "I think he deserves a second chance. I will support him with all my might because he is an extremely talented manager."

"I believe he didn't know he had broken the rules at the time. If it's ultimately my decision, he will stay." Solak also said he would continue to seek the opinions of players and fans.

On the same day, Ekert posted a video apology on the club's social media. He explained that observing opponents' training sessions was common practice in other leagues he had worked in, but he admitted that as a young coach, he should have learned about the different rules of the English Football League (EFL) and took full responsibility for his mistake.

Solak revealed that he had given Ekert a stern warning, demanding that he memorize the EFL rulebook by the time he returns in July, and that the club must not repeat the same mistake.

Image source: Internet/Southampton official website