Southampton manager Tonda Ekkert has been charged by the English Football Association over a spying scandal that led to his team being excluded from the playoff final for promotion to the Premier League.

In a sensational case that rocked English football last season, Southampton admitted to spying on a training session of their playoff semi-final opponents Middlesbrough in May.

They also spied on training sessions of rivals Ipswich and Oxford, who were competing in the second-tier Championship earlier in the season.

After defeating Middlesbrough in the semi-final, Southampton were disqualified from the final against Hull City, with a four-point deduction imposed for the 2026-2027 season.

Middlesbrough replaced Southampton in the final but lost to Hull City.

The financial cost to Southampton was enormous, with promotion to the Premier League estimated to be worth around £200 million ($267 million).

An independent disciplinary panel appointed by the league ruled that the spying operations were authorized by Ekkert, describing them as a "calculated and deliberate plan from the top of the management structure."

The English Football Association later confirmed it was investigating the case and announced on Wednesday that charges had been brought against Ekkert over his role in the spying operations.

The FA said in a statement: "Tonda Ekkert has been charged with three breaches of FA Rule E3.1 in relation to misconduct between December 2025 and May 2026."

It added: "It is alleged that the manager acted in an improper manner and/or brought the game into disrepute by directing and/or authorizing the observation of training sessions of Oxford United, Ipswich Town, and Middlesbrough, prior to their matches against Southampton in December 2025, April 2026, and May 2026 respectively."

Southampton announced it would cooperate "fully and transparently" with the FA, adding: "The club continues to fully support Tonda and his coaching staff as we work towards our ambition of returning to the Premier League."

The panel concluded that some junior staff at Southampton felt "under pressure to carry out the surveillance operations that Ekkert and senior coaches wanted to conduct."

Ekkert had until next Tuesday to respond to the charges, having acknowledged responsibility for the spying operations in a statement issued in June.

Southampton's Serbian owner Dragan Šolak said at the time he did not intend to sack Ekkert over his conduct.

Southampton begin their season with a Carabao Cup first-round match against Colchester on August 8, before their opening Championship fixture against Watford on August 16.