Parkinson Calls for Spygate Closure After FA Sanctions Southampton's Eckert
Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson says Southampton have been punished enough and urges football to move on after the FA handed Tonda Eckert a suspended ban and fine.
Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson has said the football world must move on from the Spygate scandal after the Football Association sanctioned Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert with a six-week suspended ban and a £28,000 fine. Southampton were also given a four-point deduction for this season and were removed from last season's play-off final for spying on three Championship opponents.
Parkinson expressed confusion at the length of the investigation, saying many outside Southampton had wondered why it took so long. He stressed that the decisions of the English Football League and the FA must now be respected, adding that everyone has to draw a line through the episode and move on.
The Wrexham boss pointed to comments from Southampton chairman Dragan Solak, who said the club had suffered enough. Parkinson agreed that missing out on promotion to the Premier League was punishment enough, and said Eckert, a young manager, will learn from the experience after accepting responsibility.
Wrexham's Hollywood owners, Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, had taken a dig at Southampton in a promotional video before the sides met last month. Wrexham won that league fixture 2-1 at the Racecourse, with Keven Schlotterbeck's late own goal sealing victory. The result lifted Wrexham into the international break and eased pressure on Parkinson after a 6-0 defeat at West Ham.
Parkinson admitted the three-week break without a Championship fixture posed new challenges. He said the friendly against Wigan was important and that the squad had a good balance of rest, fitness work and 11 vs 11 practice, though some things did not go their way. He felt the players trained well overall.
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