How does Eckert's Spygate case compare?

From betting charges to discrimination to match fixing, BBC Radio Solent's Jono Holmes and Adam Blackmore took a look at other historical FA cases and what they might mean for Southampton boss Tonda Eckert as he awaits his 'Spygate' hearing on Thursday.

One of their avenues of comparison is the case of Marcelo Bielsa, who admitted spying on opponents while Leeds United boss in 2019 but faced no individual punishment - though he did claim he paid the club's £200,000 fine personally.

"I know people instantly say they didn't punish Bielsa, so why should they punish Tonda Eckert?" Blackmore said.

"The only thing that is different is that they have charged him with three breaches of bringing the game into disrepute, unlike Bielsa, and he has accepted the charges. There was no charge on Bielsa.

"If I was his lawyers I'd be making the point that they didn't ban Bielsa. The rules that have changed are EFL rules, not FA rules."

However, a more recent charge came against Canada's women's team after they sent a drone to spy on opponents New Zealand during the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

The Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) were handed a £175,720 fine, docked six points in their group and head coach Bev Priestman, plus two other officials, were banned for a year by Fifa as a result.

"If the FA look to Fifa for guidance, then three counts of spying... not going to look great on Tonda," Blackmore said.

Listen to the full discussion above or on BBC Sounds here.